Ingredients
For the Dashi Stock
- 6 cups water
- 1 (4×4 inch) piece kombu
- 2 cups packed katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
- Alternatively, use 4 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of hondashi (instant dashi powder)
For the Kimchi Base
- half a medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, roughly chopped
- whites from 2 green onions
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes)
- 2.5 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
For the Collard Greens
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 lbs collard greens, stems removed and reserved (optional), leaves roughly chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- half a teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more to taste
First, Make the Dashi and Kimchi Base
If making dashi from scratch, place the kombu in a small pot with 6 cups of water. Bring it to a very light simmer over medium heat. Just as small bubbles begin to form, remove the kombu. Boiling it will make the stock bitter. Turn off the heat, add the bonito flakes, cover, and let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. You will need 4 cups for this recipe.
For the kimchi base, add the onion, jalapeno, green onion whites, ginger, garlic, gochugaru, and sugar to a food processor and blend until it forms a paste. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the paste and cook for several minutes until the raw garlic and onion smell has cooked off. Deglaze with the fish sauce, then turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar and soy sauce.
Next, Cook the Greens
In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the sliced bacon and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
Turn the heat to medium and add the sliced onion to the bacon fat. Cook until translucent. Add the collard greens in batches, allowing each batch to wilt before adding the next. Cook until all the greens have given up their liquid, then add the sliced garlic.
Finally, Braise and Season
Add the 4 cups of dashi stock to the pot and bring it to a light simmer. Put the lid on, lower the heat, and let the greens braise for 1-2 hours, or until they are as tender as you like.
Remove the lid and turn off the heat. Stir in the 4 tablespoons of prepared kimchi base, the mirin, and the rice vinegar. Season with the initial 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Taste, and adjust with more salt, sugar, or kimchi base until the flavors are balanced.
To serve, place the greens in a bowl, pour some of the braising liquid over the top, and garnish with the crispy bacon.
A Note on the Stems (Optional)
Don’t throw out the collard stems. You can pickle them. Combine ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoons of salt in a small pot. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the cleaned stems and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let cool. They can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.
Asian-Style Collard Greens
Ingredients
For the Dashi Stock
- 6 cups water
- 1 piece kombu 4×4 inch
- 2 cups packed katsuobushi bonito flakes
- Alternatively instant dashi powder, use 4 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of hondashi
For the Kimchi Base
- half a medium yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno roughly chopped
- whites from 2 green onions
- 1-inch piece ginger peeled and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons gochugaru Korean pepper flakes
- 2.5 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
For the Collard Greens
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2 lbs collard greens optional, stems removed and reserved , leaves roughly chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- half a teaspoon table salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar plus more to taste
Instructions
- Place kombu in pot with 6 cups water, bring to light simmer. Remove kombu when bubbles form.
- Add bonito flakes, cover, steep 10 minutes. Strain to get 4 cups dashi.
- Blend onion, jalapeno, green onion whites, ginger, garlic, gochugaru, and sugar to paste in food processor.
- Heat oil in pan, cook paste until fragrant. Add fish sauce, then vinegar and soy sauce off heat.
- Cook bacon in Dutch oven until crispy. Remove bacon, reserve fat.
- Cook onion in bacon fat until translucent.
- Add collard greens in batches until wilted. Add garlic.
- Pour in dashi, bring to simmer. Cover and braise 1-2 hours until tender.
- Turn off heat, stir in 4 tablespoons kimchi base, mirin, and rice vinegar.
- Season with salt and sugar. Adjust to taste.
- Serve greens with braising liquid and crispy bacon.
