20 Min
DF
GF
V
Coconut Braised Endive
My first encounter with endive was during my days working at Café Annie in the late ‘90s. High in vitamin K, Belgian endive is an extremely pale, slightly bitter chicory with tightly packed light green heads and is usually grown indoors to minimize the amount of chlorophyll it develops. Having grown up with bitter foods and watching my mother skillfully interlace them into her cooking, I knew I’d find good uses for the various chicories like curly endive, radicchio, frisee and escarole that I was encountering at the local markets.
The magic of spice blending is to create a dish where you don’t even realize you’re eating something bitter. Food such as bitter melon, endive or radicchio can be used judiciously and tempered with sweetness or creaminess so that the bitterness just adds an incredible depth of flavor. The ever-popular crab samosas at my former restaurant Indika always came with an endive salad and papaya chutney for balance.
These days, my cooking has evolved to a place of simplicity - and braising endive with something seasonal such as tomatoes, coconut or pomegranate juice makes for a delicious meal.
My first encounter with endive was during my days working at Café Annie in the late ‘90s. High in vitamin K, Belgian endive is an extremely pale, slightly bitter chicory with tightly packed light green heads and is usually grown indoors to minimize the amount of chlorophyll it develops. Having grown up with bitter foods and watching my mother skillfully interlace them into her cooking, I knew I’d find good uses for the various chicories like curly endive, radicchio, frisee and escarole that I was encountering at the local markets.
The magic of spice blending is to create a dish where you don’t even realize you’re eating something bitter. Food such as bitter melon, endive or radicchio can be used judiciously and tempered with sweetness or creaminess so that the bitterness just adds an incredible depth of flavor. The ever-popular crab samosas at my former restaurant Indika always came with an endive salad and papaya chutney for balance.
These days, my cooking has evolved to a place of simplicity - and braising endive with something seasonal such as tomatoes, coconut or pomegranate juice makes for a delicious meal.
20 Minutes
4
Notes & Variations
- To make the endive more decadent, add a cup of heavy cream instead of coconut milk.
- Add 4 ounces of tiny shrimp when adding the coconut milk for a touch of seafood.
- This recipe also works well with cabbage. Cut cabbage into thick wedges.
Notes & Variations
- To make the endive more decadent, add a cup of heavy cream instead of coconut milk.
- Add 4 ounces of tiny shrimp when adding the coconut milk for a touch of seafood.
- This recipe also works well with cabbage. Cut cabbage into thick wedges.
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Let's braise it up!
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