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You are here: Home / Recipes / Recipes by Cooking Time / 0 to 1 Hour Recipes / Ah Ma Sweet Potato Leaves in Fermented Tofu Sauce

Ah Ma Sweet Potato Leaves in Fermented Tofu Sauce

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Originally posted on September 7, 2016. Last updated on October 30, 2018 By Bee Leng Leave a Comment

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Sweet Potato Leaves in fermented Beancurd sauce in white plate

STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

Ah Ma’s Sweet potato leaves in Fermented Beancurd Sauce is a very popular and versatile vegetable dish in many households.

It is quick and easy to prepare, and you can even substitute the Sweet Potato Leaves with other vegetables like Kang Kong, Iceberg Lettuce, and Baby Spinach with minor modifications.

TRICK OF THE TRADE

The ‘Ah Ma’ version of the dish is cooked without adding chilli, although the fermented yellow beancurd sauce itself is slightly spicy. However, chilli lovers will probably opt for the ‘Ah Gong’ version instead (see below for instructions on how to make the ‘Ah Gong’ version!). For other similar dishes, see my recipe for spicy Kang Kong!

 

Sweet Potato Leaves in fermented Beancurd sauce in white plate

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH

  • It is quick and easy to prepare, with no over-complicated steps or hard to prepare ingredients!
  • The umami, garlicky, slightly spicy sauce compliments the subtle sweetness of the sweet potato leaves!

 

HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO LEAVES IN FERMENTED BEANCURD?

Wash the dried shrimp, then soak in 3/4 rice bowl of boiling water for 15 minutes.

Mash up the fermented beancurd.

Wash the sweet potato leaves and drain over sieve.

Remove the outer skin of the stem of the sweet potato leaves.

Remove the dried shrimp from the water, and set aside the shrimp water for later use.

Chop the dried shrimp finely.

Make a cornstarch solution by mixing the tsp of corn flour with 2 tsp of the shrimp water.

ingredients for Sweet Potato Leaves in fermented Beancurd sauce

Add oil to the wok using medium heat. Once oil is heated, fry the chopped shrimp until it becomes aromatic.

Frying chopped rehydrated dried shrimp in wok

Lower the fire, then add in the garlic and fermented beancurd. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

stir frying garlic and fermented beancurd and dried shrimp in wok

Turn up the heat to medium fire, and add in the sweet potato leaves slowly. As you fry, the leaves will rapidly reduce in bulk, so you should be able to fry all the leaves at one go.

stir frying sweet potato leaves, garlic, dried shrimp and fermented beancurd in wok

Add the rest of the shrimp water and continue to fry for about 10-15 minutes.

Pouring shrimp water into wok with sweet potato leaves

When the leaves are softened, the dish is ready to serve. When the dish is ready, add the cornstarch solution and allow the sauce to thicken.

Finally, transfer the sweet potato leaves to a serving dish, garnish with crispy garlic and serve hot.

Sweet Potato Leaves in fermented Beancurd sauce in white plate

 

HOW TO PREPARE SWEET POTATO LEAVES

Remove the skin of the sweet potato leaves, otherwise it will taste very fibrous.

bunched up sweet potato leaves

  1. First, separate the sweet potato leaves from the stems.
  2. Then remove the fibrous skin of the stem as much as possible. You can do this easily by breaking each stem in two-inch lengths and then pulling along the stem. This should help to remove most of the skin.
  3. Add salt to a basin of water to wash the sweet potato leaves and stems separately, as the salt helps to remove any dirt / mud. Thereafter, wash with water for another 2-3 times and drain.

COOKING TIPS

  1. Fry sweet potato leaves for longer. This way, the texture of the leaves will be soft and smooth. This is unlike other vegetables like Cai Xin and Kai Lan which turn limp if overcooked.
  2. Fry the dried shrimp until aromatic, so it will bring out the taste of the shrimp, otherwise the dish will lack that distinctive hei bee flavour.
  3. Lower the fire before adding the garlic and fermented beancurd to prevent the garlic from burning and to reduce the spattering from the oil due to the water content of the fermented beancurd.
  4. Use a metal spatula to cut the leaves and stems up to test if they are softened – if the stem breaks easily the dish is cooked.

AH KONG VERSION

  1. Add 1-2 Tbsp of belachan chili while frying the dried shrimp.

SUBSTITUTES

If you find it a hassle to remove the skin from the stems or are short on time, you can also substitute the Sweet Potato Leaves with

1) Kang Kong (same cooking time),

2)Iceberg Lettuce (cut each leaf into 3 or 4 pieces, and fry for 10 min instead of 15 min)

3) Baby Spinach (fry for 10 min instead of 15 min)

 

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

  • Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
  • Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
  • Gluten-Free: Ensure the brand of yellow fermented beancurd you use is gluten free.
  • Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
  • Shellfish-Free: Skip the dried shrimp.
  • Vegan: Skip the dried shrimp.
  • Vegetarian: Skip the dried shrimp.

 

TRIED THIS RECIPE?

Please rate our recipe or leave us a comment! You can even upload a snap of your creation!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube channel for more yummy videos! Do also join us at TBK Home Cooks Facebook Group where you can post photos of your food, ask questions, share recipes and clean cooking tips from others in the group!

 

Ah Ma's Sweet Potato Leaves in Fermented Beancurd

Sweet Potato Leaves in Fermented Tofu Sauce

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: sweet potato leaves in fermented tofu sauce, stir fried sweet potato leaves, fan su ye
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 5
Calories: 56 kcal
Author: Bee Leng

Sweet Potato Leaves in Fermented Tofu Sauce combines sweet potato leaves with a sauce of aromatic dried shrimp, garlic and fermented yellow beancurd. A popular and versatile recipe that is quick and easy to prepare!

Print

Ingredients

  • 2 packets sweet potato leaves
  • 2 tsp chopped garlic
  • 30 g dried shrimp
  • 3/4 bowl water to soak shrimps
  • 2 TBsp yellow fermented beancurd
  • 2 tsp corn flour
  • 1-2 TBsp oil
  • 1 pinch salt taste before adding

Instructions

PREPARATION METHOD

  1. Wash the dried shrimp, then soak in 3/4 rice bowl of boiling water for 15 minutes.

  2. Mash up the fermented beancurd. 

  3. Wash the sweet potato leaves and drain over sieve.

  4. Remove the outer skin of the stem of the sweet potato leaves.

  5. Remove the dried shrimp from the water, and set aside the shrimp water for later use. Chop the dried shrimp finely.

  6. Make a cornstarch solution by mixing the tsp of corn flour with 2 tsp of the shrimp water.

COOKING METHOD

  1. Add oil to the wok using medium heat. Once oil is heated, fry the chopped shrimp until it becomes aromatic.

  2. Lower the fire, then add in the garlic and fermented beancurd. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Turn up the heat to medium fire, and add in the sweet potato leaves slowly. As you fry, the leaves will rapidly reduce in bulk, so you should be able to fry all the leaves at one go. 

  4. Add the rest of the shrimp water and continue to fry for about 10-15 minutes.

  5. When the leaves are softened, the dish is ready to serve. 

  6. Add the cornstarch solution and allow the sauce to thicken.

  7. Transfer the sweet potato leaves to a serving dish, garnish with crispy garlic and serve hot.

Top Tips

HOW TO PREPARE SWEET POTATO LEAVES

Remove the skin of the sweet potato leaves, otherwise it will taste very fibrous.

  1. First, separate the sweet potato leaves from the stems.
  2. Then remove the fibrous skin of the stem as much as possible. You can do this easily by breaking each stem in two-inch lengths and then pulling along the stem. This should help to remove most of the skin.
  3. Add salt to a basin of water to wash the sweet potato leaves and stems separately, as the salt helps to remove any dirt / mud. Thereafter, wash with water for another 2-3 times and drain.

COOKING TIPS

  1. Fry sweet potato leaves for longer. This way, the texture of the leaves will be soft and smooth. This is unlike other vegetables like Cai Xin and Kai Lan which turn limp if overcooked. 
  2. Fry the dried shrimp until aromatic, so it will bring out the taste of the shrimp, otherwise the dish will lack that distinctive hei bee flavour.
  3. Lower the fire before adding the garlic and fermented beancurd to prevent the garlic from burning and to reduce the spattering from the oil due to the water content of the fermented beancurd. 
  4. Use a metal spatula to cut the leaves and stems up to test if they are softened – if the stem breaks easily the dish is cooked.

AH KONG VERSION

  1. Add 1-2 Tbsp of belachan chili while frying the dried shrimp.

SUBSTITUTES

If you find it a hassle to remove the skin from the stems or are short on time, you can also substitute the Sweet Potato Leaves with

1) Kang Kong (same cooking time),

2)Iceberg Lettuce (cut each leaf into 3 or 4 pieces, and fry for 10 min instead of 15 min) 

3) Baby Spinach (fry for 10 min instead of 15 min)

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Filed Under: 0 to 1 Hour Recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes, Singaporean Recipes, Recipes by Cooking Style, Vegan-Friendly, Home-Style Recipes, Recipes, Recipes by Cooking Method, Malaysian Recipes, Vegetarian-Friendly Recipes, Chinese Recipes, Restaurant-Style Recipes, Recipes by Cuisine, Egg-Free Recipes, Old-School Heritage Recipes, Recipes by Dietary Preferences, Fish-Free Recipes, Stir-Fried Recipes, Recipes by Cooking Time, Asian Recipes, Nut-free, Recipes by Course, Vegetable Recipes, Shellfish-Free Recipes, Light and Healthy Recipes, Popular Tagged With: Sweet Potato Leaves, Fermented Yellow Beancurd

About Bee Leng

Bee Leng spent most of her childhood in the kitchen learning the ropes of Chinese/Cantonese cooking. She loves to shares her treasury of heritage recipes and cooking wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of kitchen (mis)adventures. If you send her a photo of a dish gone awry, she can probably tell what went wrong!

TheBurningKitchen.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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