Friday, September 1, 2017

Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Leaves (Han Tzu Hyo)

Sweet potato leaves you say? Well, yes, it ain't always about the tuber, you know...
Growing up in Taiwan, sweet potato leaves were a staple veggie for us and usually just simply sautéed with some minced garlic. When cooked, it resembles spinach, minus spinach's occasionally metallic aftertaste. Really, really tasty and chock full of nutrients. Luckily for us here in SoCal, sweet potato leaves are readily available in many Asian markets and can also be home grown. Keep in mind that not all sweet potato varieties produce tasty, edible leaves (try rooting cuttings from store-bought varieties or, even better, get cuttings from a friend who is already growing these in their garden for the leaves). 


Ingredients:
1 large bunch of sweet potato leaves (I like to use mostly leaves with just a little bit of stem left on and trim them accordingly)
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water

1. Trim the sweet potato leaves, removing all but 1-2" of the stems on. Rinse in a colander and shake to remove most of the water.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large saute pan until very hot. Add the garlic and stir fry for 10-15 seconds until fragrant. 

3. Add the sweet potato leaves and toss to combine; stir in 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt. Add 1/4 cup of water and continue cooking until the leaves are wilted. Taste and adjust salt as needed. 

Serve with steamed white rice.



No comments:

Post a Comment