With a bunch of leftover quickly wilting kale in the fridge, I was running out of variations of kale salads to make. Since we had Indian as our dinner cuisine of the day I started raking my brain over possible side dishes to try out so that if it turned out to be a fail at least it would not ruin our main course. I remembered that Trader Joe’s Spinach and Kale Greek Yogurt dip and thought I could do a raita variation! Kale and garlic raita!
Kale sautéed in garlic and spices mixed into a yogurt sauce
Since I was short on time, I decided to saute the kale and add in the garlic to the saute, so I didn't have that sometimes overwhelming raw garlic flavor. I chopped up kale (super finely), chili peppers and garlic. Sautéed them in a seasoned olive oil and mixed it all together with yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro and salt.
It turned out great! Its a regular now! Its perfect to serve with any type of curry or dal, or even simply with plain rice!
Why Swap in Kale?
Can you really have Indian food and still be on a diet? Is there such a thing as healthy Indian food? Now don't get me wrong, traditionally made Indian food is amazing! But it can also be super high in calories, carbs and fat. So what I like to do is make changes to some of our regular recipes. One super easy thing to do is to just find ways to incorporate ingredients with higher nutritional content into traditional Indian recipes.
Kale is really high in nutritional value, one of the most nutrient packed foods you can find. An excellent source of vitamins C, A, and K, plus its low in calorie and carbs, high in fiber. It also contains protein.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-kale
Kale is also an easy swap into Indian recipes. You can treat it similar to spinach and mix it into dals and curry. Swapping in kale for spinach will give you a nice change up of flavors and textures for your dishes.
Try it out this recipe and won't even realize how healthy this dish is!
This kale and garlic raita is the perfect side dish to any of these recipes:
- Restaurant Style Paneer Butter Masala
- Restaurant Style Instant Pot Chana Masala
- Indian Fried Rice (Vagharelo Bhaat)
- Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs
- A Quick and Simple Homestyle Egg and Tomato Curry
Kale and Garlic Raita
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1-2 small green chili peppers minced
- 1 cup kale finely chopped
- 2 cups yogurt
- 1 juice of lemon
- ¼ cup cilantro minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a small frying pan. Once oil is warmed, add mustard and cumin seeds.
- Once seeds are sizzling in oil, add minced garlic and green chilis, mix and saute for a few seconds.
- Add minced kale to the oil, cook for a few minutes until kale wilts. Remove seasoned kale from pan, set aside to cool.
- Combine yogurt and seasoned kale mixture (once cooled) in small bowl.
- Season with lemon juice, minced cilantro, salt and pepper. Serve cool. If not serving immediately, keep refrigerated until serving.
Lindsay
Wow, looks so delicious! I'm bookmarking to make this later in the week!
Jill Patel
Thanks Lindsay! Its really great, flavorful and healthy!