Crispy Kale Crisps

After doing a bit of research as to what foods work well when dehydrated I found a site selling kale crisps. I was intrigued by the idea. I love sheets of nori seaweed and could imagine they would taste similar. The site was charging a fortune for tiny tubs of kale crisps and I decided I could make some myself for much less cost.

 

I decided to keep things simple and start off with just a little oil and salt as a coating for my kale crisps. I was slightly dubious filling my dehydrator with layers of kale, I didn’t want o eat up with something that tasted of overcooked cabbage! After a few hours my kale was looking glossy and dried and I got my first taste.

The dehydrated kale crisps were fabulous! They were super thin and crisp, with a salty iodine flavour. Super light and crisp, they were a mix of salty savoury goodness. They were so addictive that I ate half of them in one sitting. My one disappointment was that I found them a little too salty for my tastes, but this can be easily modified and I will reduce the amount of salt I add next time (noted in recipe). It reminded me of the salty crispy seaweed you used to get in Chinese restaurants. It probably was kale and not seaweed to be honest.

 

I enjoyed the crispy kale so much that I also tried some with lime juice and a little curry powder, (in addition to the oil and salt) but I wasn’t keen on this one. It smelt heavenly when drying, a fragrant mix of warming spices filled the whole kitchen, but the curry powder ended up tasting bitter after being dehydrated and concentrated. I think something like a little smoky paprika would be a better idea.

Like potato crisps, only packed with extra vitamins! Anyone got any other flavours they can recommend?

Crispy Kale Crisps

Ingredients

100g sliced kale

3 tsp olive oil

½ tsp salt (I’d use ¼ tsp next time)

Additional Ingredients

2 tsp lemon or lime juice

½ tsp medium curry powder

Method

Place sliced, washed and dried kale into a large bowl. Discard any thicker stalks, as these are too chunky to dehydrate sufficiently.

Drizzle over the oil and salt and mix together using your hands until every piece of kale is lightly coated.

Place the kale in a single layer over the plates of a food dehydrator.

Set to 65C and allow to dehydrate for 4 hours, until crisp.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before storing in an airtight container.

Eat within 1 week.

I also tried some with lime juice and a little curry powder, (in addition to the oil and salt) but I wasn’t keen on this one. It smelt heavenly when drying, but the curry powder ended up tasting bitter after being dehydrated and concentrated.

Note: if you don’t have a dehydrator, simple place your kale on a cooling rack, placed over a baking tray and leave in a cool oven, around 65C for 3-4 hours until crisp.