Home Style Blanched Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves
This Taiwanese Home Style Blanched Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves is a quick and easy way to add veggies to your dinner table in only 5 minutes. Did you know that sweet potato leaves are actually delicious, and super nutritious? This common Taiwanese veggie is seasoned with a super convenient, 3 ingredient garlic sauce made with kai dong Everyday Garlic Oil that tastes just like the grandma would make. If you see sweet potato leaves in the supermarket, or have it in your garden, you have to try this quick veggie dish!
Cooking for Grandma: Taiwanese Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves
This Taiwanese Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves is part of a full meal I cooked for my grandma this time while visiting them in Taiwan. Being able to spend an entire afternoon doing what we love the most, cooking, chatting, tasting everything straight from the stove felt like the most natural and meaningful way to be together.
Sweet potato leaf, or 地瓜葉, is a common Taiwanese vegetable, and for my grandma, it’s a familiar flavor. Today, I’m combining it with the garlic-shallot flavors of kai dong’s Everyday Garlic Oil, vegetarian oyster sauce, and sesame oil for a truly nostalgic Taiwanese dish. It’s fragrant,
Blanched Garlic Yam Leaves Ingredients
- 300 g sweet potato leaves tough stems removed
- Water for blanching
Easy Garlic Sauce
- 1½ tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Everyday Garlic Oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Sweet Potato Leaves
In Taiwan, sweet potato leaves (地瓜葉) are a common everyday vegetable, often blanched or stir-fried. They’re actually highly nutritious, rich in vitamins A, C, and K, fiber, and antioxidants, while being low in calories and naturally cholesterol-free. Flavor wise, the leaves are earthy, sweet, and slightly bitter, but in a good way. After cooking, the leaves get a silky, almost slippery texture.
When blanching, be sure not to overcook them, as the leaves themselves can almost “melt”. So, it’s important to keep an eye on them and keep cooking time short. Once the stems are cooked through, they’re ready to eat.
Easy Garlic Sauce
This easy garlic sauce saves you work, and tastes just like that thick garlicky sauce often seen in Taiwanese home cooking. The blanched leaves are mild on their own, which is so we’re dressing them with a savory oil-based sauce to add richness and aroma
You can drizzle this over any other blanched veggies for a fragrant but nostalgic boost.
Made with only 3 ingredients: vegetarian oyster sauce, sesame oil, and kai dong’s Everyday Garlic Oil, this sauce is savory and super fragrant. The shallot and garlic aroma in the Everyday Garlic Oil in particular is really what makes this sauce the best thing to pair with the slightly bitter, but buttery sweet potato leaves.
How To Make Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves
- Blanch the sweet potato leaves
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the sweet potato leaves and blanch just until wilted and deep green, about 30–60 seconds. - Strain and cool
Immediately strain the leaves and let excess water drain off. - Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, combine the vegetarian oyster sauce, garlic oil, and sesame oil. Stir until evenly mixed. - Assemble
Transfer the blanched sweet potato leaves to a serving bowl. Drizzle the sauce evenly over the leaves in several passes. - Serve
Serve as is, or gently toss just before eating to evenly coat the leaves.
Home Style Blanched Garlic Sweet Potato Leaves
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 300 g sweet potato leaves tough stems removed
- Water for blanching
Easy Garlic Sauce
- 1½ tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Everyday Garlic Oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Blanch the sweet potato leaves: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the sweet potato leaves and blanch just until wilted and deep green, about 1 minute.
- Strain and cool: Strain the leaves and let excess water drain off.
- Mix the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the vegetarian oyster sauce, Everyday Garlic Oil, and sesame oil. Stir until evenly mixed.
- Assemble: Transfer the blanched sweet potato leaves to a serving bowl or plate. Drizzle the sauce evenly over the leaves, and it’s ready to serve.
