Former Top Chef contestant and cookbook author Chef Kenny Gilbert made Thai Collard Green Salad and Coconut Cornbread Crepe. Award-winning Chef Kenny Gilbert is best known for his flavorful Southern cuisine. He’s had a career spanning over three decades and has trained in premier fine dining restaurants worldwide, appeared on Season 7 of the Bravo competition series Top Chef, as well as worked as Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef. “Southern Cooking: Global Flavors” by Chef Kenny Gilbert is available wherever you buy books. For more information, go to www.chefkennygilbert.com. Follow @chefkennygilbert on Instagram and @chefkennyg37 on Twitter.
Thai Collard Green Salad and Coconut Cornbread Crepes
Serves 6
Green papaya salad is the inspiration for this recipe. It is traditionally served with sticky rice and roasted chicken marinated in yellow curry cooked over hot coals. In this recipe, I swap the papaya for collards. Similar to how the acid from the lime and fish sauce breaks down the fibrous papaya, the acids here tenderize the collard greens. Collards are in the cabbage family and can be used to make a crunchy slaw whose flavors are light and bright. To make a creamy version, just add a little sour cream or mayonnaise. The highlight of this dish is how the fresh sweet flavor of the collards comes through and paired with the sweetness of the corn in the crepes, it is magical.
FOR THE COLLARD GREEN SALAD
1/4 cup dried shrimp
1/2 cup coconut plain sugar
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Thai (bird) chiles, stemmed
1/2-pint red grape tomatoes
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into medium (1/4 cup)
1 bunch collard greens, leaves stemmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 bunch Thai basil or sweet basil, leaves only (1/2 cup)
FOR THE COCONUT CORNBREAD CREPES
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup canned coconut milk, preferably Thai Kitchen
1/4 cup coconut oil
FOR THE BUILD
Crushed roasted peanuts, for garnish Lime wedges, for garnish
Make the Collard Green Salad
1. Use a mortar and pestle or a food processor fitted with a metal blade to crush or finely mince the dried shrimp, palm sugar, garlic, and Thai chiles.
2. Add the grape tomatoes, bell pepper and salt, Pound together gently or pulse in the food processor.
3. Pour in the fish sauce and lime juice. Mash together or pulse in the food processor.
4. Add the collard greens and pound gently to break up the fibers or briefly pulse in the food processor. Transfer to a large serving bowl.
5. Gently mix in the peanuts and Thai basil. Reserve until ready to serve.
Make the Coconut Cornbread Crepes
1. Heat a pancake griddle or nonstick skillet on medium.
2. Combine the self-rising flour, cornmeal, sugar, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Add the eggs, coconut milk, and coconut oil to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly.
4. Put 1/4 cup of the batter on the hot griddle. Cook for 1 minute, or until the top of the crepe has lots of bubbles.
5. Use a spatula to help you flip the crepe. Cook the other side for 30 seconds.
6. Transfer the crepe to a platter and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat until all the batter is used. As the crepes finish cooking, stack them on top of one another and cover with the towel to keep warm until ready to serve.
The Build
1. Either roll the salad in the crepes or enjoy it alongside the crepes. Garnish with crushed roasted peanuts and lime wedges.
