Ingredients
For the Dashi Stock
- 7 1/2 cups water
- 1 (5×5 inch) piece kombu
- 2 1/2 cups packed katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
For the Kimchi Base
- 1 small medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 large jalapeno, roughly chopped
- Whites from 2-3 green onions
- 1 1/4-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 1/2 tsp cane sugar
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
For the Collard Greens
- 8 strips thick-cut bacon, thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2.5 lbs collard greens, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 2 1/2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp table salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp cane sugar, plus more to taste
Make the Dashi and Kimchi Base
First, make the dashi. Place the kombu in a pot with 7 1/2 cups of water and bring it to a very light simmer. Just as bubbles begin to form, remove the kombu to prevent bitterness. Turn off the heat, add the bonito flakes, and let them steep for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid; you will need 5 cups for this recipe.
For the kimchi base, blend the onion, jalapeno, green onion whites, ginger, garlic, gochugaru, and sugar in a food processor until it forms a paste.
Heat the canola oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the paste and cook for a few minutes until the raw onion smell is gone. Deglaze with the fish sauce, then turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar and soy sauce.
Cook the Greens
In a large Dutch oven, add the sliced bacon and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the 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. Once all the greens have wilted, add the sliced garlic.
Braise and Season
Add the 5 cups of dashi to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Cover, lower the heat, and let the greens braise for 1-2 hours, until they are tender.
Remove the lid and stir in 5 tablespoons of the prepared kimchi base, the mirin, and the rice vinegar. Season with the initial rounded 1/2 teaspoon of salt and rounded 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Taste and adjust with more salt, sugar, or kimchi base as needed.
Serve the greens in a bowl with some of the braising liquid, garnished with the crispy bacon.
Asian-Style Collard Greens
Ingredients
For the Dashi Stock
- 7 1/2 cups water
- 1 piece kombu 5×5 inch
- 2 1/2 cups packed katsuobushi bonito flakes
For the Kimchi Base
- 1 small medium yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1 large jalapeno roughly chopped
- Whites from 2-3 green onions
- 1 1/4-inch piece ginger peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 1/2 tsp cane sugar
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
For the Collard Greens
- 8 strips thick-cut bacon thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 2.5 lbs collard greens stems removed, leaves roughly chopped
- 5-6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 2 1/2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp table salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp cane sugar plus more to taste
Instructions
- Add kombu to water and bring to light simmer. Remove kombu when bubbles form.
- Turn off heat, add bonito flakes, steep 10 minutes. Strain to get 5 cups dashi.
- Blend onion, jalapeno, green onion whites, ginger, garlic, gochugaru, and sugar until paste forms.
- Cook paste in canola oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add fish sauce, then vinegar and soy sauce off heat.
- Cook bacon in Dutch oven until crisp. Remove bacon, reserve fat.
- Cook onions in bacon fat until translucent.
- Add collard greens in batches until wilted, then add garlic.
- Pour in dashi, bring to simmer. Cover and braise 1-2 hours until tender.
- Stir in 5 tbsp kimchi base, mirin, rice vinegar, salt, and sugar.
- Serve greens with braising liquid, topped with reserved bacon.
