Kashmiri Collard Greens

5 from 18 votes

In this simple dish of Kashmiri style collard greens, or haak, the leafy greens are simmered with tomatoes and spices until deliciously tender.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Side

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Meatless, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 36kcal

10 large leaves collard greens (stems removed, then rolled up and cut into long, skinny ribbons)
1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (see tips above if you want to use mustard oil for a more authentic flavor).
½ teaspoon asafetida or hing (hing)
1 large red onion (thinly sliced)
4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 large tomato (pureed or cut in a small dice)
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or sweet paprika)
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon garam masala
1-2 cups hot water
Salt to taste

Place the collard greens in boiling hot water. Let the collards cook eight minutes, then place them in a strainer to drain out all the water. Rinse the collard greens in cool, running water. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add asafetida. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add onions and garlic to the pan. Add ½ teaspoon salt and saute until the onions are very soft. Stir in the pureed tomato.
Add the spices to the pan: turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika), ground ginger and ground fennel.
Mix the spices into the garlic, tomato and onions in pan and continue to saute for five more minutes.
Add a cup of hot water to the pan and let it come to a boil. Stir in the blanched, drained collard greens and mix them in. Bring the collards to a boil, then turn heat to a simmer and let the collard greens cook, covered, for 20-30 minutes or until they are quite tender but have a good bite. You can tweak this to your preference--let the collards cook longer for more tender greens.
Stir in the garam masala and mix it in. You can add ½ to 1 cup more hot water at this point if most of the water has evaporated.
Continue to cook the collards for another five minutes. Add salt to taste. Turn off heat and serve hot.