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Di gua ye
Stir-fried sweet potato leaves
Di gua ye (炒地瓜葉): Taiwanese sweet potato leaves stir-fried hot and fast with garlic
Stir-fried sweet potato leaves are on the table at almost every Taiwanese home dinner and at every rechao stir-fry stall from Taipei to Kaohsiung, a cheap, dark-green side that once fed the island in lean years and is now loved for its silky texture. The tender leaves and tips are thrown into a smoking wok with plenty of garlic and a splash of water and cooked in about two minutes. It is vegan and light, with about 3 g of protein per portion. The common mistake is overloading the wok: the leaves stew and turn black-green and slimy, so cook in two batches if your pan is small. If you can't find sweet potato leaves, use water spinach or pea shoots. Chef's tip: add a tablespoon of water with the leaves; the burst of steam wilts them evenly without extra oil.
- Total time
- 9 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweet potato leavestender leaves and tips only, washed
- 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlicroughly chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 red chilli (optional)sliced
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Pick the tender leaves and top 8 cm of stem from 14 oz sweet potato leaves; discard tough stems. Shake off most of the washing water.
Step 2: Heat 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat until it just smokes. Add 5 cloves garlic and 1 red chilli, if using, and stir for 15–20 seconds until pale golden.
1 minStep 3: Add the leaves and ½ tsp salt and toss constantly. When they start to collapse, add 1 tbsp water and keep tossing until all the leaves are just wilted and glossy but still bright green.
2 minStep 4: Taste for salt and tip onto a plate straight away, so the leaves don't keep cooking in the hot wok.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 60 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does di gua ye take?
- About 9 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 4 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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