Stir-Fry Swiss Chard with garlic, chillies for a tasty Malaysian style vegetable dish..
It is late Summer, and the kitchen garden is filled with a wonderful assortment of edibles awaiting harvest. Amongst them, tall handsome golden stalks are interspersed with hot pink and creamy coloured stems, momentarily catching the eye of the beholder, in the sea of dark green glossy leaves.
I reach down, briefly brushing the back of my hand against the large ruffled leaves, before picking out a multi-coloured selection of near perfect leaves. Before long, I have a basket piled high with Swiss Chard, leaves, stems and all, and I am ready for a spicy Malaysian style vegetable dish.
Sambal Oelek is a raw Malaysian chilli paste, the ready made version comes in a jar and is available from most supermarkets.
Spicy Swiss Chard with Sambal Oelek
Serves 2, as a sideIngredients
200g swiss chard
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek
Dash of Fish Sauce
Method
Wash the chard and discard any old or tough stalks. Cut the stems into small 1.5cm pieces and slice the leaves up into strips.
Add oil to pan set over a low-medium heat. Then, add the garlic and salt and stir-fry briefly until fragrant.
Put the stalks and half the Sambal Oelek into the pan, and stir-fry until softened.
Taste it - is it too hot? If not, add the remaining Sambal Oelek.
Finally, add the leaves and fish sauce, and cook for a further 3 - 5 minutes.
We also used our homegrown Swiss Chard in Swiss Chard & Feta Parcels and Stir-Fried Swiss Chard with garlic.
