Kale palya/Kale poriyal/Kale thoran

Kale palya makes a nutritious, hearty side for rice and rotis. I love Kale! It is packed with nutrients and I love it’s texture as it holds it’s shape even after cooking. It does not turn into a mush. This South Indian style Kale palya(sauteed side dish) is my favourite way to eat Kale.

The onions and garlic give it a wonderful flavour and the perfectly cooked tomatoes give a nice juicy bite. Coconut lends a mild sweetness. Yum! No joke, I sometimes have cravings for Kale palya 🙂

What is Palya/Poriyal/Thoran

In Indian households, a meal generally consists of two kinds of sides, to go with rice or rotis.

• Something in a liquid form. Ex. Dal, sambar, curries like this horsegram rasam, coconut yogurt curry, Ivygourd coconut curry.
• Something in a dry form( by dry I mean not a gravy/curry). Ex. Sauteed or stir fried vegetables like Kale palya.

The South Indian way of making sauteed vegetables is called palya in the state of Karnataka, poriyal in Tamil Nadu, thoran in Kerala and vepudu in Andra Pradesh and Telangana. Here are some common features of a south Indian style sauteed vegetable side dish.

• The tadka/oggarane/hot oil seasoning includes split black gram(urad dal, uddina bele) and split chickpea(chana dal,kadle bele) along with the usual mustard and cumin seeds. The lentils contribute both to the texture and flavour.

• Minimal use of oil. These sauteed vegetables are not on the oily side. At the restaurants, maybe, but never at home.

• South Indian palya usually includes grated fresh coconut.

How to serve Kale palya/Kale poriyal/Kale thoran/Kale vepudu

• Palya is eaten mixed with rice.
• A spoonful of ghee is poured over rice to elevate the flavours. Rice + Ghee + Palya = awesomeness!
• South Indian meals generally end with a portion of rice mixed with yogurt(dahi,mosaru) or Indian buttermilk. Mixing palya into yogurt + rice is a great way to end the meal. Another personal favourite of mine! 🙂
• Kale palya can also be served with roti/chapathi/dosa.

Kale palya/Kale poriyal/Kale thoran/Kale vepudu

Shwetha

Sauteed kale with Indian seasonings. Great with rice and roti/chapathi

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 3 people

Equipment

• I use standard measuring cups and spoons to measure ingredients in my recipes.

Ingredients

  

• 6 cups finely chopped kale loosely packed (1 bunch)
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed optional
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup scrambled firm tofu, optional scrambled and sauteed separately first, to remove excess water.
• ¼ cup fresh/frozen grated coconut optional but adds to the flavour.
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder adjust to suit your taste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ cup water if needed
• ¾ tsp salt or to taste

For tadka/oggarane/hot oil tempering

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1½ tsp split black gram urad dal, uddina bele
• 1½ tsp split chickpeas chana dal, kadle bele
• ½ tsp cumin seeds jeera,jeerige
• 1 dry red chilli broken

Instructions

 

• Heat two teaspoons oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
• Add in the mustard seeds.
• When mustard splutters, go in with the other ingredients under tadka/oggarane/hot oil tempering
• When the split black gram/urad dal turns golden, add the chopped onions and garlic.
• Saute onions until translucent.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and saute for 30 seconds. Keep the heat at medium and take care not to burn the spice powders.
• Add finely chopped Kale and stir.
• Add salt.
• Cover and cook until Kale is wilted. Stir in between. Add water if needed.

  Kale will release some water, so add water as needed.
• Add chopped tomatoes.
• Add scrambled tofu if using.

  NOTE : I like to saute tofu separately to remove excess water before adding it into the palya.
• Add grated fresh coconut, if using.
• Mix everything together. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
• Serve with rice or rotis.

Video

Notes

You can skip the lentils in the tempering but they do provide a nice flavour and texture.

I like to saute tofu separately to remove excess water before adding it into the palya.

Fresh coconut can go bad if not cooked for a minute, so make sure to add it along with the tomatoes and cover and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Keyword easy, kale

A short video tutorial

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