In one of my adventures in search of wild edibles I found Genjer. Also known as Limnocharis flava, yellow bur head or yellow velvetleaf, this plant can be found in wet areas. It grows well near or in between the rice fields, ponds. It’s an aquatic plant and it’s leaves can grow up to be 50cm tall. Check out the video where I talk and find the wild edibles.
Genjer is often used in soups, curries or simply just a stir fry. The hollow stem gives a unique crunch and taste. The leaf itself is a little bitter. Not much, just a little. the small bulbs where the flower buds are suppose to grow give a unique sensation like chewing on something rounds that breaks very easy, releasing a bittersweet taste. At least in this dish. See the Video here or go to my YouTube video.
Ingredients
Because we are stir frying we don’t need much. I am adding tofu to this dish to increase the protein value. Keep in mind that because of the properties of the vegetable we are using, it will become a “wet” dish. So if you want to replace the tofu, just keep in mind that the vegetable release some moisture.
- 7 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp oyster saus
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 gr Tofu
- 300-400 gr Genjer
Preperations
Wash the vegetable first. Cut the garlic in tiny pieces and cut the tofu in cubes. For the Genjer, start with cutting the stem in the length into equal pieces of 2-3cm. Do not cut the bulbs, leave these intact. Roll up the leaves and cut them into pieces. They don’t need to too be small as it will shrink during the cooking process.
When everything is cut, heat up the wok pan and add oil. Wait a few moments until the oil is hot. Then it’s time to throw in 1 cube of tofu first. If the oil reacts to the tofu, it’s time to put the rest in. If it doesn’t react, wait until it does before adding the rest of the tofu.
Fry the tofu cubes golden brown like in the picture. Remove any excessive oil before adding the garlic. Keep stirring well, the fire should be at medium high.
After the garlic has been in for about 1-2 minutes, you can add the stem of Genjer and on top of that the leaves. Stir this well so that the garlic and tofu are well mixed. Then add salt and oyster sauce. Keep stirring everything at medium high fire for few more minutes. When the leaves are shrinking it means you are done and ready to put it on a plate.
This was another easy recipe. You can replace the tofu for something else. If you want to add a fried egg, don’t do this in the same wok pan, but add it separately. It will be more flavourful an tasty this way. I can imagine that this stir fried dish can go well with beef.
Genjer (Limnocharis flava) recipe
Equipment
- 1 wok
Ingredients
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 gr Tofu
- 300-400 gr Genjer
Instructions
- Cut the garlic in tiny pieces
- Cut the tofu in cubes
- Cut the genjer stem in equal pieces and roll the leaves up to cut them
- heat the wok pan with oil
- First fry the tofu cubes golden brown
- if required remove excessive oil
- Add the garlic to the tofu and stir it on medium high fire for a minute
- Add the cut genjer and stir it in the mix
- add salt and oyster sauce
- stir for 5 minutes
- ready to serve when the leaves are shrinking
