This recipe is a homage to it's namesake dish we enjoy at a Taiwanese upscale dumpling place called Din Tai Fung (highly recommended, if you are in bay area or Seattle).
I must say, this kale preparation was a turn-over point for me in my kale experience - I went from got to eat it, it's good for you to oh wow, I love it, I can't wait to make it again! I feel like being forever indebted to Din Tai Fung for introducing me to this lovely side dish and giving me a delicious new perspective on this well known vegetable.
For over a year now this is the only way I prepare kale at home and every single time the pot is wiped clean with not even a single sprig of kale remaining.
The preparation is very simple - you take a bunch of curly kale. Tear up the leaves in smallish pieces discarding the tough stem. Wash the pieces well and then steam them until soft but still have a little bite to it. On my instant pot I use the steam setting and set it to 1min. In my stand-alone steamer, I steam for about 10-12minutes.
While the kale is steaming, prepare garlic oil. Heat a few Tbsp olive oil on low-medium heat, add a couple of (1-2) finely chopped garlic cloves while the oil is warm but not too hot. We just want to infuse oil with garlic flavors, not brown the garlic - use low-medium heat for a few minutes.
Once kale is steamed and ready, add it to the pan. Sprinkle a good quality salt (we use pink Himalayan salt for this recipe) and mix thoroughly to ensure garlic oil and salt quotes the kale evenly. Serve while warm!
My favorite way to eat this is a bit unusual. I take a whole bowl full of kale and broil a slice of a nice crusty bread, rub the bread with a bit of raw garlic while it's warm and then use the bread to mop up any of the kale juices that it will release a few minutes after adding salt. So good!
Steaming and sautéing with garlic oil is my in general favorite preparation for vegetables and I have adopted it to more than kale now. It's a wonderful way to enjoy seasonal vegetables!