Okay, here’s my blog post about cooking sweet potato leaves, written in the style of a mature, practical blogger:
Alright, folks, let’s talk about something a little different today – sweet potato leaves! I know, I know, most of us just think about the tubers, but the greens are totally edible and, dare I say, delicious. I decided to give them a go the other day, and I’m here to share my little kitchen experiment.
Getting Started
First things first, I grabbed a bunch of sweet potato leaves from my garden. You can find them at some Asian grocery stores too, If you don’t have a plant. I made sure to pick the younger, more tender leaves – the big, old ones can be a bit tough and stringy.
The Prep Work
- Washing: I gave the leaves a good rinse under cold water. Dirt and little critters like to hang out on them, so I made sure to wash them thoroughly.
- Stemming (Optional): I’m not gonna lie, this part is a little tedious. I pinched off the leaves from the thicker stems. Some people cook the stems too, but I find them a bit too fibrous for my liking. Younger leaves have softer stems, so you could get away with leaving those on.
- Chopping: I chopped the leaves up a bit, just to make them easier to eat. Nothing fancy, just a rough chop.
The Cooking
Now for the fun part! I decided to keep things simple and stir-fry them. I love doing a quick stir-fry.
1. I heated up some oil in a wok – you can use a regular pan too, no worries. I like using peanut oil for stir-fries, but whatever you have on hand is fine.
* the oil was hot, I tossed in a couple of cloves of minced garlic. Gotta have garlic, right? I let that sizzle for a few seconds until it was fragrant.
3. Then, I added the chopped sweet potato leaves to the wok. They’ll wilt down quite a bit, like spinach, so don’t be afraid to pile them in.
4.I stir-fried everything for a few minutes, just until the leaves were wilted and tender. I added a splash of soy sauce and a pinch of salt for flavor. You could also add a little bit of oyster sauce or fish sauce if you like. Even some chili flakes for a kick!
The Result
And that’s it! Seriously, it’s that easy. The sweet potato leaves have a slightly sweet, slightly earthy flavor – kind of like a cross between spinach and kale. They’re surprisingly tasty, and a great way to use up those extra greens. I served them up as a side dish with some rice and grilled chicken. A very simple and healthy meal.
So, there you have it – my little adventure with sweet potato leaves. Don’t be afraid to try new things in the kitchen, you might just discover a new favorite! Give it a shot and let me know what you think!
