Anyone notice food shortages?

Are taro leaves similar to yam leaves?

ohh … I guess it depends what you call a ‘yam’. Are we talking 地瓜 or 芋頭 here?

I just noticed a few people are selling taro leaves lately. I’d never seen them here before. I assumed that was what The_Seeker was referring to.

I guessed he meant 地瓜葉 as they’re popular here. I can’t stand them :slight_smile:

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Ah OK. I’m more used to the Caribbean usage of ‘yam’ (which would mean either cassava or taro). North Americans apparently use the word to refer to sweet potatoes.

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My resident vegetable experts are telling me taro leaves are kind of like lady fingers in their texture. Which I also despise :slight_smile:

City Super seems to be fully stocked, have been able to get everything I need from there.

Well, you’re hard to please, aren’t you? :slight_smile:

They’re not as slimy as okra, but drying them before cooking helps a lot in that regard.

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Somewhat :slight_smile: I don’t like slimy veggies or excessively mushy greens, certainly.

The trick with most green veg, IMO, is to cook them hot and briefly, preferably with meat fat, and select young leaves. That’s particularly true of 地瓜葉 - selecting the growing tips gives you a much better result, but what you get in the market will be whatever was easiest to cut.

The British habit of boiling things to death is definitely not the way to go.

I like most greens so I just choose one of the other options :slight_smile: I don’t think I’ve ever tried sweet potato leaves I liked.

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How about musty melon?

Or bitter melon? Love the Hakka take on this, stir fried at high heat with salted egg, eaten piping hot with rice. :grin:

Pushing at the edges of tempo’s veggie universe!

Guy

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What? lol. Typo?

Can’t stand it. Add “bitter” to slimy or mushy.

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I’d like your post for its candor, but my love of shen dan ku gua stops me from hitting that button. :grin:

Guy

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They’re called 地瓜葉 and they’re kind of a staple here in the south.

They’re prepared rather simply or part of a recipe called 燙青菜.My father-in-law just gave us a big batch and we eat it almost everyday. It’s probably came from one of his friends yam fields.

Sure, all over the island I think. It’s taken some doing to end their staple status in my household to tell the truth :slight_smile: The battle still flares up now and again, resistance has not been totally crushed.

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That I can like.

Guy

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Hey, the price is right, free or almost free. They’re nutritious as well and not bad once get used to it.
I don’t cook much but Yam leaves are easier to prepare than spinach leaves.

Not too long ago my wife’s family down south did not have refrigeration 70’s early 80’s and when my wife was a kid, part of her childhood they could not afford rice. Dried yam concoction rice replacement that I would like to try but my wife says no one would never want to try it, it was so bad.
(BTW they had television before indoor plumbing here in the south.)

Here is where we part ways.

I’ve heard such stories of privation as well. I can only hope I don’t have to experience it ever, but my theory is there’s no need to practice for the possibility :slight_smile:

It’s delicious. The salty egg balances the bitterness.

If there’s one other thing I hate it’s salty egg, so this doesn’t help me.

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