I was first introduced to this plant a few years ago when I was in Semenyih visiting our friends. The wife was growing a kind of green vegetable given to her by her sister and she told me that this vegetable is called Taiwan Kau Kee Choy in Cantonese.
She gave me a pot to take home with me and from that small pot, I planted them into 2 bigger pots. After a few harvest, the plants were infested with pests and I have to get rid of the whole pot.
Some time last year, I was again given a pot of these green vegetable when our friends came to visit us in Ipoh. I re-potted them in these shallow pots in my garden.
I have since harvested a few rounds of these green vegetables from my garden and these are still growing in my garden.
After plucking the leaves and tender shoots off the stalks, the left over older stalks were used to propagate another batch of these leafy vegetable.
These Taiwan Kau Kee vegetable are without thorns and is different from our local kau kee which have thorns on the woody stalks and the leaves are more fibrous
I do not use any pesticides on my edible plants and sometimes they are attacked by pests. Taiwan Kau Kee is easy to grow except that the underside of the leaves can be easily infested with some kind of pests. These pests are also attracted to my basil plants.
Below are some of the ways of cooking Taiwan Kau Kee:
1. Cooked in boiled anchovies/minced meat slices/minced meat balls soup.
2. Cooked as stir fries with just garlic or with meat or prawns.
3. Blanched and drizzled with garlic oil and oyster+light soya sauce.
I harvested a colander full of Taiwan Kau Kee recently and cooked it for our dinner.
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Here is one of our simple home cooked dinner.
Steamed Minced Pork with chopped Tai Tau Choy (preserved salted turnips).
Blanched Taiwan Kau Kee drizzled with garlic oil and oyster+light soya sauce.
2 bowls of rice + rolled oats porridge for hubby and I.
Thank God for this simple home cooked dinner.
Every morning tell him, "Thank you for your kindness,"
and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness.
(Psalm 92:2, The Living Bible-TLB)
