This is an update of a quick note I made in 2011 about how to make crispy 'seaweed'. It's great for using up any past-it's-best kale in the fridge. It works with some other leafy green veg, but it's needs strong leaf structure. Spinach doesn't work, for example, as it has too high water content and just goes floppy and then burns. I need to try that at a lower temperature for longer instead.
It's not quite 100% the same as you'd get in a Chinese restaurant as its baked and not fried, and it's kale, but it's very good.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of kale
- olive oil
- salt
- brown sugar
Method
Wash the kale, shake it as dry as you can ,and remove all of the leafy bits from the stalks. You can just tear the leaves off - it doesn't matter if you get big bits and small bits.
Once that's done, in a separate bowl, mix together one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of brown sugar to make the topping. When it's mixed it should look something like this..
Then glug some olive oil over the kale, probably about a tablespoon's worth, and mix it all around with your hands until the kale is coated, and sprinkle over a few pinches of the topping mixture. Give it another good mix up to distribute it.
Transfer the whole lot to a flat, shallow baking tray and put it in the oven at about 180C.
After a few minutes, take a look - the ends should be going brown, but the middle should still be green. Try a bit - if it's crispy most of the way through - it's done. Take it out of the oven and it's ready to serve.
Comments