Tumis Daun Pepaya Jepang: Sauteed Tree Spinach (Vegan)

Method8 steps · about 1 hr

1. 1

   Step 1: Wash the correctly identified chaya leaves thoroughly. Put them in boiling water with a little salt (to taste) and boil for 20 minutes, until tender. Do not skip this boiling stage or eat chaya raw.

   Boil spinach · 20 minUses 500 g tree spinach (chaya) leaves · Water for boiling tree-spinach leaves (quantity unspecified; drain afterwards) · Salt to taste

2. 2

   Step 2: Drain the cooked leaves and let them cool enough to handle. Squeeze out the water, cut the leaves into smaller pieces and set aside.

   Uses boiled tender chaya leaves

3. 3

   Step 3: Heat the oil (3 tbsp) over medium flame, and sautee the shallots (5), garlic (3 cloves), big red chillies (2), ginger (2 cm), galangal (2 cm), salam leaves (2) and lemongrass (1 stalk) until fragrant (around 4 minutes).

   Sauté tree-spinach aromatics · 4 minUses 3 tbsp cooking oil · 5 shallots, peeled, thinly sliced · 3 cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced · 2 big red chillies, diagonally sliced · 2 cm ginger, peeled, sliced · 2 cm galangal, bruised · 2 salam leaves · 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and knotted

4. 4

   Step 4: Add the tomato, mix well.

   Uses fried tree-spinach aromatic base · 1 red tomatoes, chopped

5. 5

   Step 5: Add the boiled, squeezed and cut tree-spinach leaves to the fried aromatics and tomato. Stir to combine.

   Uses fried aromatics with tomato · boiled squeezed cut chaya leaves

6. 6

   Step 6: Add the 100 ml water, sweet soy sauce (2 tbsp) and salt to taste (to taste). Cook for about 10 minutes, then continue with the final five-minute stage.

   Cook seasoned chaya before final stage · 10 minUses cooked chaya and tomato-aromatic mixture · 100 ml water · 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce · Salt to taste

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the whole bird’s-eye chillies (5) if desired. Cook for another 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated; continue this final stage even if you omit the chillies.

   Finish seasoned chaya dish · 5 minUses seasoned simmering chaya dish · 5 bird’s eye chillies (optional)

8. 8

   Step 8: Transfer the dish into a serving bowl.

   Uses finished cooked chaya dish