Do you see what I see? I see crisp orange fruits waiting to be stripped naked from its waxy exterior. They also like to play coy, making an appearance around fall to early winter and then hibernating the rest of the year.
My mom used to lug home bags of these bright golden fruits all the way from Chinatown and kept them away from the rest of the family. “They’re not ripe yet!” she claimed. She has a trick for coaxing these persimmons to reach their flavorful peak. She would bag some persimmons with one or two apples and put the bag inside a deep sauté pan and close the lid. Then, she stored that pan in the oven so that the persimmons could ripen (because who doesn’t use an oven to store food?). Yes, in an Asian household, the ovens and dishwashers = storage for food or pots and pans. I nearly burned my kitchen down because of this strange logic, but that’s a story for another day.
Like magic, those persimmons that my mom stored in the pan would turn from light marigold to a deeper shade of orange, a sign that they’ve reached their peak of ripeness. Of course, my cravings for those little golden nuggets would get the better of me, and I would sneak out a few persimmons when my mom wasn’t looking. Yea, they didn’t taste that great, especially unripe hachiya persimmons. Mama Lin’s always right about these things.
Between taste testing pear tarts and apple turnovers, I needed a break from the butter and the sugar. Gasp. Did I just say that?
If this salad doesn’t cleanse the palette, then all I can do is throw my hands up in the air . . . and have another bite of that apple turnover.
Kale Persimmon Salad with Curry Chickpea Croutons
Ingredients
Curry Chickpea Croutons
- 1 15-ounce can (425g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1 tsp curry powder
- pinch of salt
Salad
- 10 cups kale, about 4 oz/115g
- 1 large yellow pepper, sliced
- 2 small fuyu persimmons, peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cup (~70g) crumbled goat cheese
- small handful of pomegranate seeds
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup (120ml) balsamic vinegar
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the chickpeas between 2 paper towels, and rub the chickpeas to dry them out. To make the chickpeas crunchy, we want to try to get rid of the excess water.
- In a small bowl, mix the chickpeas, olive oil, curry powder, and salt. Pour the chickpeas over the baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The chickpeas will look shrunken and browned when they’re done.
- While the chickpeas are baking, remove the kale leaves from the stem and rinse them. Roughly chop the kale. In a large bowl, mix the kale with the other salad ingredients.
- In a small bowl, mix the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients together. I like to use a fork for this.
- Toss the salad with a bit of the balsamic vinaigrette. Save the remaining vinaigrette for later. Top with goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, and the roasted chickpeas. Best served immediately!
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
This looks like the perfect reset salad for all the desserts that have been around – love your story about the persimmons in the oven!
Lisa says
Thanks, Marisa!
Melanie @ Nutritious Eats says
Yes- love this fall combo. And I think I have all these ingredients with the exception of the persimmons which are coming in my CSA box tomorrow- fun! I adore salads. 🙂
Lisa says
Let me know how it goes, Melanie!
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
I love picking persmissons off of our tree and finding new recipes to use them. I agree with your mom, persimmons definitely taste the best at their peak ripeness. This is the perfect garden recipes because I have almost all of these ingredients growing in my backyard!
Lisa says
I wish I had space to grow fresh produce! I’m still trying to start my own herb garden…
Hayley@healthyregards says
OHHH so I just need to store my persimmons in the oven! I have bought some before and actually hated them, they had a cottony texture but I am assuming they were just not ripe enough? I will try again (:
Lisa says
Hayley, do you remember how that persimmon looked like? The ones that are shaped like a cone go soft, so that’s the one you might want to avoid. Try looking for the flat ones fuyu persimmons because those are the crispier variety. Let me know what you think!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Persimmons are lovely! I’ve only had them a few times, but I did love them!
Lisa says
When I was living in DC, I missed persimmons sooooo much. I’m so glad I get to eat them all season long!
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
Such a colourful salad! My grandparents used to have tons of persimmons at home, but I’ve never actually had a whole one or don’t remember the taste, anyway. I need to get my hands on one soon!
Lisa says
They’re wonderful! You should definitely try one soon!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Love this bright salad. And when you told me your mom stored persimmons in her oven it reminded me of the Sex and the City Episode where Carrie reveals that she stores sweaters in her oven because she never cooks. So at least it’s not THAT bad! Ha! Can’t wait to make this, Lisa!
Lisa says
Hahah, LOVE IT!
ami@naivecookcooks says
Lisa this looks super delicious!!
Lisa says
Thanks, Ami!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
Bahaha – I love your mom already. I agree- unripe permissions ARE TERRIBLE. Actually, I had such a bad experience as a kid, that I refused to eat persimmons until THIS YEAR. Can you believe it? And now I’m eating persimmons left and right – like it’s my JOB. This salad with it’s persimmon and pomegranate combo sound so healthy, fresh, and addicting.
Lisa says
Yea, unripe ones are BAD NEWS! I’m soo glad I’m not the only one scarfing them down!
Joanne says
How did you know that I’m persimmon-obsessed?! This is a great salad. Full of so many fun flavors and mix-ins!
Lisa says
Persimmons are probably my favorite fruit! I’m eating as much as I can while they’re still in season.
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
What a lovely salad! I have never had persimmons.
Lisa says
You should definitely try one when you get the chance, Kelly! Make sure it’s bright orange though. Unripe persimmons don’t taste that great.
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
I need to add persimmons to my cart ASAP. You have me craving them!
Lisa says
Persimmons are definitely my favorite fruit! Get them while they’re still in season!