Greenmarket Colcannon with an Asian twist 

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A colcannon inspired by the readily available winter vegetables in our local food shed and my family.  A little Vietnamese. A little Irish.  I have been meaning to give this a go for quite some time and I am so glad I finally did. It is a savory, spicy. umami bomb. It’s vegan and delicious served on its own or served with “wheat meat” sausages or a big heap of steamed Chinese broccoli or broccoli rabe. It is wonderful with seared fish. Serves two as a main, four as a hearty side dish.

 

Greenmarket Colcannon with an Asian twist

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb of potatoes (I used russets)

  • 1/2 bunch of kale

  • 1/2 bunch of mizuna

  • 1/4 of a large cabbage

  • 2 scallions

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 tbs grated ginger

  • 3 green thai chilis

  • 2 tbs+ madras curry powder (I used 3 but I like stuff extra)

  • Juice of one lime

  • 1 tbs of shoyu

  • 1 heaping tbs coconut oil + more for sautéing

  • 1/2 cup+ full fat coconut milk (depending on the starch content, you may need up to 34 cup)

  • optional garnish: mint and cilantro

 

Directions:

Start boIling water and place the steamer pan on top. I prefer steaming potatoes when making mashed or whipped potatoes, they turn out more creamy than starchy (because, science) but boiling is ok too if you don’t have a steamer pot situation. 

Peel potatoes and chop. Put them in the steamer pan once the water come to a boil and cover. Steam until fork tender. 

Chop mizuna and scallions. Chiffonade the kale and cabbage into strips. Mince the Thai chili and garlic. Grate ginger. Keep everything separate and set it all aside. 

Using a few teaspoons of coconut oil, sauté the kale, and as it starts to shrink, add the ginger, chilis, garlic, and mizuna. Cook until soft, remove from pan and set aside. Add more coconut oil as needed, sauté cabbage until soft and caramelized. Add scallions and cook until charred. Set this aside.

Take the cooked potatoes and mash them with a potato masher. Add coconut oil and coconut milk, and stir with the masher or whip them with a whisk. Then, add the lime juice, shoyu, and the curry. Stir / whip. Fold in the green veggies, cabbage, and scallions. Serve while still warm or at room temperature. Garnish with cilantro and mint.

Please note: If making ahead and reheating, do so slowly at a low temp or more ideally, allow it to come to room temperature. High heat can easily turn it too soft and runny, more like a stoup. Not a bad thing per se, but maybe not what you may want, so just a heads up!