Daun Kaduk |
Daun Kaduk aka piper sarmentosum scientifically, is usually used in local cuisine to make ulam (traditional Malay salad) and otak-otak (fish cake).
It looks like a betel leaf, but is smaller in size and has a peppery taste.
It can be eaten raw or cooked - steamed, fried, souped, what-have-you. I have seen it used as a vegetable wrap on several occasions.
It doesn't keep long. Best to buy it closest to the day you intend to use it.
Earlier in the year, my sister-in-law asked me to help her out with an otak-otak dish. That's when I first noticed this leaf. I've probably eaten it before but only made a mental note of it now that I've taken an interest in cooking. You should have seen how engrossed I was with the leaf, scrutinising it as though it were a science project!
Anyway, here's an idea how to use it in cooking:
Otak-otak (Fish and prawns in coconut gravy - to be steamed into a cake) with Daun Kaduk lined at the bottom |
The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity than the discovery of a new star
~ Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
They look like a thicker, chewier version of spinach! Can't say that I've ever heard of them, though. You are educating me, one food stuff at a time, Sharon ;-)
ReplyDeleteJust sharing what I learn along the way :)
Delete