During the week of the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, BoomGrow sent me some pesticide-free kale. So I made a popular Eid recipe, which is kale ‘masak lemak’ with wild ferns (paku) and prawns. ‘Masak lemak cili api’ is a traditional Malay curry that’s said to originate from the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. It’s cooked in the richness of coconut milk and fragrant, flavourful Asian spices like lemongrass and turmeric. When you combine kale in a creamy, spicy stew like this ‘masak lemak kuning’ curry, it tenderises, and voila…
BoomGrow is Malaysia’s first 5G-connected vertical indoor farm. They grow their vegetables in a controlled environment with proprietary machine farming. With the help of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning algorithms, BoomGrow’s vegetables are 100% clean, sustainable and nutritious. With same day harvest and immediate shipping. Visit www.boomgrowfarms.com for more information about the work they do, as well as to shop online.
(Disclaimer: This is a paid sponsored post on Instagram, in collaboration with BoomGrow)
Kale Masak Lemak with Wild Ferns and Prawns
Ingredients
- 15 pieces bird's eye chillies
- 5 pieces shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 inches fresh turmeric root
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 2 bunches coriander
- 2 medium bunches kale
- 1 large bunch wild ferns (pucuk paku)
- 6 pieces prawns deveined, but keep the shells on
- 2 slices tamarind
- salt and sugar to taste
- 200 ml coconut milk
Instructions
- Rinse the veggies well. Select the softest part at the fern tip and some leaves; discard the bottom half. Discard top half of lemongrass, remove dried-out layers, bash the woody end with a rolling pin to release the aromatic oils. Remove the hard stems from the kale and slice the leaves into 1 1/2 inch.
- Blend chillies, shallots, garlic and turmeric. Heat up some oil in a wok and stir fry the blended spices until fragrant. Add lemongrass and chopped coriander. Fry until aromatic.
- Put the prawns in. If the gravy is dry, add some water into the blender (which you used to blend the spices earlier), give it a quick swirl, then pour into the wok.
- Add tamarind slices. Then season with sugar and salt.
- Pour in coconut milk and leave to boil. Add veggies and cook until just wilted. Turn off the fire and ladle the curry into a bowl. Serve with steamed rice.
If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram.
