One of the reasons I love Chinese food so much is the variety of ingredients! Just think about the veggies – bok choy, Chinese mustard, yu choy, to name a few, and now one of my favorite veggies ever (It’s #2), Sweet Potato Leaves! This Stir Fry Sweet Potato Leaves Recipe will show you how to make it at home super easily too.

Are sweet potato leaves edible

Sweet potato leaves are edible, if you haven’t realized yet, I don’t usually write inedible recipes 🙂 But more about sweet potato leaves!

There is a lot of confusion between yam leaves and sweet potato leaves. This recipe is on sweet potato leaves which are edible, and not all yam leaves are edible.

Something interesting about this vegetable too is that back in the day people refused to eat it (some may still refuse) because people used to grow sweet potatoes for eating and then fed the leaves to the pigs. My late grandpa used to hate it and referred to it as ‘Pig’s food’.

However, more and more people eat it now as it is actually one of the most nutritious veggies, so actually people should’ve been eating it all along.

These veggies contain niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, fiber, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. They also contain sodium, potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese.

Also, if I haven’t already mentioned, it is also delicious – one of my favorite vegetables ever!

Where to buy sweet potato leaves

You can find sweet potato leaves in almost any Asian super markets. However, if you do not have one near you, there’s a hack. All you have to do is buy sweet potatoes and plant it! (See next section.)

How to grow sweet potato leaves

I was amazed by how easy it was to grow sweet potatoes. We had some sweet potatoes laying around the other day, for a bit too long, and it started sprouting, so my mom just took it to the backyard, and planted it.

A few days later, sweet potato leaves just started popping out of the dirt, and then we actually did end up with a bunch (not just from one sweet potato). So if you really want some of this veggie and can’t locate any, try to hunt down some sweet potatoes.

How to stir fry sweet potato leaves

First gather your ingredients:

• 1 bunch of sweet potato leaves
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, smashed
• Salt, as desired
• 1 tsp Fermented bean curd (optional)

Wash sweet potato leaves and cut off the stem area, leaving only the leaves and a bit of the tender parts of the stem.

In a wok or cooking pan, add cooking oil and smashed garlic, and cook on high heat for just about a minute.

Add the sweet potato leaves in to the wok/pan and stir fry until veggies are halfway wilted. Add the fermented bean curd (optional) and salt to taste.

Stir fry until veggies are soft, and then remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking and making it all mushy.

If you like this veggie dish, or you do not have access to water spinach, check out a very similar veggie dish I have here (it’s my favorite leafy green!) – Stir Fry Water Spinach Recipe!

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