The Sweet Leaf is very easy to grow, with a harvest a month after planting, writes Elaine Yim
I HAVE been growing the sayur manis or sweet leaf vegetable at home since I was a little girl. I first learnt it from my grandmother. This plant, which can be propagated from leftover stems, is very easy to grow, requiring little skill and maintenance. I just poke the cuttings into soil, and leaf shoots will appear in a few days’ time. In a month or so, the leaves are ready to be harvested for cooking.
Established plants can produce an adequate amount of leaves weekly. Being a perennial, the plant can last many years, up to 10 or more. In Chinese, we call it shu chai choy meaning “little tree vegetable”. This is certainly a long living vegetable plant.
For many of us who love pan-mee noodle soup, no other vegetable can replace the sayur manis for taste and flavour.
PLANT PROFILE:
Scientific name: Sauropus androgynus
Synonym: Sauropus albicans
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Common names: Katuk, Star Gooseberry, Sweet Leaf, Sabah Vegetable
Its Chinese name is Mani Cai while in Malay, it is called Cekur Manis, Sayur Manis or Pucuk Manis.
Its genus name Sauropus is derived from two Greek words “sauros” and “pous” meaning “a foot”. The specific epithet is derived from Latin word “androgynus” meaning that both male and female flowers are produced on the same plant.
Phyllanthaceae is a family of mostly flowering, tropical trees, shrubs, herbs and weeds. It has 2,000 species divided into more than 50 genera. Its members include trees such as Phyllanthus acidus (Malay Gooseberry or Pokok Chermai), P. emblica (Indian Gooseberry), P. pectinatus (Melaka Tree); medicinal herbs such as P. fraternus (Synonym: P. niruri) and P. amarus which are commonly known as Dukung Anak; and the ornamental P. myrtifolius (Mousetail Plant).
THE PLANT
Sauropus androgynus is a perennial, herbaceous shrub native to India and Southeast Asia. It can reach 6m tall in the wild but usually grows to about 2-3m tall when in cultivation. Quite often it is trimmed short as the leaf shoots are regularly harvested to be cooked as a vegetable in stir fries and soups.
The plant has a few main stems but many lateral branches. The stems are erect and quite woody. The leaves which are about four to five centimetres long are oval-shaped and alternately arranged. The flowers are tiny. Male and female flowers are produced on the same inflorescence. These flowers are termed “apetalous” meaning that they do not have any petals but only sepals. Female flowers have six red sepals while those of male flowers are yellowish-white. The fruits are tiny too. With their cream-coloured capsules, black seeds and red calyxes, they look like tiny white mangosteens.
Normally only the leaves are used for cooking as the stems are too tough or fibrous to be eaten. The famous Sabah Vegetable with crunchy stems and juicy shoots that are often served at restaurants are commercially cultivated in Sabah.
USES
The cooked leaves have a sweet taste, hence the name sayur manis or sweet leaf. The leaves can be boiled with beaten eggs and anchovies to make soup or stir-fried with dried prawns or anchovies with some added minced shallots, garlic and ginger. It tastes just as great when added to a bowl of instant noodles and fish balls.
There’s a popular Malay dish, cekur manis masak lemak, which uses the leaves cooked in coconut milk and sweet potatoes.
Caution: The leaves should not be eaten raw as they are toxic.
TIP
It is best to harvest the leaves before the flowers appear, otherwise they become too tough or fibrous to eat.
HOW TO GROW
Sweet Leaf vegetable can be grown in a flower pot or in the ground. Grow a few plants and you are assured of an endless supply of leaves for cooking.
The steps:
PROPAGATION
It can be easily propagated using the stem cuttings or seeds.
SUNLIGHT
Partial to full sun.
MEDIUM
Fertile, well-drained soil
WATER
Water regularly up to twice a day during the dry season.
FERTILISE
Apply home-made compost or a balanced compound fertiliser once a month or so.
MAINTENANCE
Trim off old branches. To harvest leaves for cooking, cut about 1-2m in length.
PEST AND DISEASES
Not a problem.