Hobbies: Cassava Leaves

I know many would be surprised to know that young cassava leaves can be eaten. Young leaves are edible but provided that you need to cook it first. The Malays and natives of Sarawak love to eat this as one of their dish. There are many ways to cook it. Some like to cook it with coconut milk, some boil the leaves for 2-3 minutes and eat it as "Ulam" with the "sambal belachan" (shrimp paste with chillies). A traditional way to cook it, is to pound the leaves and fry it with some meat or just cook it with meat as soup.

This is me, picking the young cassava (tapioca) leaves from my mom's garden, when I went back to my hometown in June 2006.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A friend gave me a stem of the Cassava plant which I planted in my garden.

This is my tapioca plant that I planted among my flowers which survived the winter. It never grow taller as I always took the leaves. I have cut some of the stems and planted during the summer but it didn't grow. Guess the weather was too hot.

Just few stems of young leaves is enough for my dish.

Below are the ingredient that I cooked with the pounded cassava leaves, it's a common way to cook it traditionally by the native of Sarawak (Malaysia) such as the Kenyah and Kayan people.

You need some ginger, onions or garlic (I like to pound the ginger and chopped onions finely. Fry or saute in olive oils till brown.

Then add your favorite meat i.e. chicken or pork. Fry till it is lightly brown, then add the pounded cassava leaves.

This is how it looks like. I know not many want to eat this way. But this is our favourite. Continue to simmer it on medium heat. Don't put too much meat (as I did) or the taste will overpower the cassava leaves.

Then add some of the natural herbs to substitute for MSG. A type of plant, which we called "bekai" in Kenyah dialect and it grow wild in the Tropical Borneo jungle. We picked the leaves and dried it and pounded finely as shown above. Add salt to your taste.