The untoothsomeness mostly was because I didn't know how to properly cook the red barley-like grains I found in the cupboard. I put them in the rice cooker, and even with extra water they were hard, chewy, and just not very toothsome. In fact, those things are like some kind of flavor black hole. You can add all the spices you want, but they will all undergo gravitational redshift as they approach the event horizon.
The other thing on top is yam leaves / sweet potato leaves / 番薯葉. I had heard tell of them but I don't think I had ever actually seen some in person -- until farmer's market last weekend, that is.
I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I just stir-fried them with oil, salt, and garlic. The result was very good: like spinach but with more texture.
Before frying, I tore all the leaves off the stems, which were thick and woody, and didn't seem edible. Someone please correct me if they are!
According to Wikipedia, another popular way to eat the leaves is to boil them briefly and then dip them in soy sauce.
I think it is easy to grow sweet potato leaves because my grandpa grows a lot at his house! In Taiwan, stir-fry sweet potato leaves is a popular dish : ) My grandma stir fries them first and dips with soy sauce(醬油膏?)~~~so good : )))
ReplyDeleteNice! I'll keep my eye out for some seeds. And I'll have to try the soy sauce-dipping way next time. Does she dip the leaves one at a time?
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