They make it look easy. Spork, I mean. You remember Spork, right? I wrote about them last summer, their Mexican Corn on the Cob, the no-recipe recipe they shared with me. I’ve been hooked on their Kale, Kohlrabi & Mint Stir Fry with Bacon (I always add a fried egg to make it a meal). So finally I conjured the courage to ask for the recipe.
And guess what? It’s another no-recipe recipe. But one of the ingredients was a complete surprise.
Fish sauce! Just the right amount of umami to keep you coming back to this dish again and again.
Here was the reply:
Hey Marissa … great to hear from ya
There isn’t really even a recipe for that dish … it’s just thin sliced kale and kohlrabi stir fried with already cooked diced bacon (and a little dab of grease) and tossed with lemon, mint, and fish sauce … I don’t have any proportions for ya … it’s not even written down in our recipe book
Needless to say, I’m a pretty big fan of this place – delicious food, fabulous people. And I’m not the only one. Maybe you saw them in a recent rave-review from the New York Times. The article begins:
Spork, a Bend, Ore., restaurant that began as a food truck, is a precocious lovechild of sesame and pork. Jeff Hunt, an owner and the executive chef, developed the menu based on expeditions to places like Bangkok and the Yucatán; the result is dishes like spicy fried chicken with kimchi and fried catfish tacos with chile mayo.
If you visit Bend, obviously don’t miss your chance to eat at Spork. And in the meantime, you should try a couple of their no-recipe recipes at home.
*Originally published in February 2014. I’ve updated the recipe with fresh photos because the first round didn’t do this justice. Did you miss it the first time? It’s a must try, I promise!
Kale, Kohlrabi & Mint Stir Fry with Bacon and Fried Egg
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon diced
- 2 bunches Lacinato kale (Italian) thinly sliced into ribbons
- 1 bulb kohlrabi peeled and thinly sliced into ribbons
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup fresh mint coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or more
- olive oil
- 2 eggs
Instructions
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add deiced bacon; cook and stir until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon from skillet.
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Remove all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease from pan. Add kale and kohlrabi ribbons to hot grease; cook and stir just until wilted, about 3 minutes.
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Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add olive oil. Crack eggs into hot oil and fry to desired doneness (I prefer sunny-side up).
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Remove kale mixture from heat and stir in bacon, lemon juice, mint, and fish sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Divide kale mixture between two serving plates. Top each plate with fried egg and serve.
As simple as this may sound, the ingredients still packs a punch. I will have this any time of day! Great one Marissa!
Thanks, Katherine! It really does – the fish sauce gives it that little extra oomph…. 🙂
This sounds like a delicious combination, Marissa!
It really is, Sabrina! Hey – I’ve missed your posts…coming back soon? xo
Love Kale! This looks like a lovely breakfast!
Thank you, my dear!
Another fabulous no recipe-recipe! This looks delish and that fish sauce definitely sounds like a bit of a surprise ingredient 🙂
Thank you, Sonali! Sometimes no-recipe recipes are the best, right? 😉
Hi Marissa! I love sauteed kale with bacon sprinkled with Parmesan, so this recipe definitely got my attention! I’ve never had kohlrabi…can you describe what it tastes like? I love most vegetables and imagine I would like it. And, almost everything is better topped with a fried egg! 🙂
Hi Dorothy! I’m so glad you asked…kohlrabi is one of my favorites – especially raw. It tastes EXACTLY like the inside of a broccoli stem (which I love!). Here’s what it looks like
And, me too! Sometimes I feel like I should have a whole category on this blog called ‘Put an Egg on it!’ 😉
Love this combination! Thanks for sharing. My husband and I spend our summers in Yachats, Or. Next time we go to Bend we will have to go to Spork. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Cheri – you’ll love it! Yachats is a great little coastal town. My mom and I take a few days every year for a girl’s getaway in Waldport which is just up the road.
And by salad I mean stir fry, obviously. Seems like my mind is still in weekend mode!
Half the time I call it a salad… 🙂
The no recipe recipe thing would drive me a little crazy! But it sounds like you made the best of it. This sounds like a fabulous salad!
What a fab but simple mix of ingredients! Thanks for featuring another of their recipes Marisa! 😀