Sides and Salads Recipes - Morning Glory with Fried Shallots Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 bunches morning glory, total weight about 250g/9oz, trimmed and coarsely chopped into 2.5cm/1 in lengths

• 30ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 4 shallots, thinly sliced

• 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• sea salt

• 1.5ml/1/4 tsp dried chili flakes

Serves 4

---

Method:

1. Place the morning glory in a steamer and steam over a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds, until just wilted. If necessary, cook it in batches.

2. Place the leaves in a bowl or spread them out on a large serving plate.

3. Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the shallots and garlic over a medium to high heat until golden.

4. Spoon the mixture over the morning glory, sprinkle with a little sea salt and the chili flakes and serve immediately.

This recipe isn't a novel way of using the pretty creeper that twines along your fence, but rather relates to its Asian cousin. This leafy annual vine requires a good deal of moisture to grow and favors boggy ground, hence the synonym "swamp cabbage". It is widely cultivated in China and South-east Asia.

Cook's Tip: Other names for morning glory include water spinach, water convolvulus and swamp cabbage. It is a green leafy vegetable with long jointed stems and arrow-shaped leaves. The stems remain crunchy while the leaves wilt like spinach when cooked. It is a staple stir-fry ingredient of many South-east Asian cultures, and works best when prepared simply as here.

Variation: Use spinach instead of morning glory, or substitute young spring greens (collards), sprouting broccoli or Swiss chard. The texture may be tougher, so blanch leaves before using if necessary.