Sweet Potato shoots goes well with fermented beancurd and it’s quite common to find this dish in chinese eateries in Malaysia. Miso Sweet Potato Shoots however, was more an accidental finding as I had run out of fermented beancurd on the very day that I decided to stir fry some sweet potato shoots. With two little kids at home, stir frying the sweet potato shoots with belacan was out of the question. As I rummaged through my fridge for ideas, my eyes set upon the pack of miso paste on the slider drawer and I thought this is it!

As miso paste is also some form of soybean product, I thought that it might taste as good with the sweet potato shoots just like fermented beancurd. And I was right! It tasted great especially with fried garlic slices which had a little smoky flavour. However, taking the cue from readers who told me that miso must not be boiled, I had to get around the problem of cooking the sweet potato shoots without cooking the miso! So, it turned out to be a two part cooking process - blanching and quick stir frying. If you have miso paste at home, don’t just settle for miso soup. Try this for a change.

This is my recipe for Miso Sweet Potato Shoots

Ingredients

• 300 grammes sweet potato shoots
• 2 cloves garlic (sliced thinly)
• 1/2 tablespoon of miso paste
• Water for boiling
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Method

Bring water to boil in a pot or wok. Add a teaspoon of salt and drizzle some cooking oil. Blanch the sweet potato shoots till they turn dark green in colour. Remove and drain and run through some cold water very quickly to stop the cooking process on the shoots.

Heat oil in wok. Fry the garlic till golden brown. Remove fried garlic and set aside. Add sweet potato shoots to wok and stir briskly for 30 seconds. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot water. Once water boils, turn off the heat. Add miso paste and stir well.

Dish up and garnish with fried garlic slices.