Coconut Curry Noodles with Collard Greens and Broccoli

A couple of weeks ago I got two Boston Organics deliveries in a row with collard greens and broccoli. I was fine with the broccoli, other than possibly getting bored with it, but I didn't really want to make braised collard greens with bacon again. So when I saw this recipe for creamy coconut collards, I was pretty intrigued. I would never have thought that collard greens, a staple in Southern soul food, could be used in an Asian-inspired dish. But it's a brilliant combination; the slightly sweet creaminess of the coconut milk tempers whatever bitterness the collard greens may have left after braising, and the curry gives it just enough kick to cut through the cream.

The only thing was, served over rice, the texture was just too blah. So I tried it over chow mein noodles (not the crispy La Choy kind; the kind that you boil), added some stir-fried broccoli, and the dish turned into something sublime and much, much greater than just the sum of its parts. I've already made this twice and will most likely make the next time I get collard greens; it's really that good.

Unfortunately, I didn't really take note of how much of what I used and basically "cooked by feel". But this dish is too good not to share, so here's what I did:

Coconut Curry Noodles with Collard Greens and Broccoli
serves 3-4

Cut off the florets from 3 stalks of broccoli to end up with about 2 cups of florets. Mince a clove or two of garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok and add the garlic and salt. Toss in the broccoli and stir fry until bright green, about 2-3 minutes. Add about 1/2 cup of water and cover to finish cooking by steaming about another 5 minutes. Once it is done, remove the broccoli from the wok and set aside.

Wash the collard greens, remove the stems, and cut the leaves into ribbons. Mince another clove or two of garlic. Heat up some oil in the cleaned wok and add the garlic and collard greens. Stir fry for a couple of minutes and then add a can of coconut milk and curry powder to taste (start with 2 teaspoons). Cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes until the collard greens are done and the sauce is slightly thickened. Add the broccoli and toss. Remove from heat.

In large pot, boil salted water. Add the steamed chow mein to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and add to the curried coconut collards. Toss to mix and salt to taste. Serve hot.

You can add chicken or pork to the dish by cutting it into bite-sized pieces and browning it in the hot oil before adding the garlic and collard greens. If you can't find steamed chow mein, you could probably substitute Hong Kong style egg noodles (like the kind I used for the pan-fried noodles), ramen, or possibly even angel hair cooked al dente. I probably wouldn't use anything too thick or chewy; the reason why the noodles worked while the rice didn't is because you want some bite in the texture. I made this with regular coconut milk, but next time I will try it with reduced fat coconut milk.

ETA:  I tried it with the reduced fat coconut milk, and it wasn't anywhere near as yummy.

If you try making this, please let me know what you think!