Thursday, October 8, 2009

Cups in the air. asin-asin

The little flowers are so beautiful. Like little cups hanging in the air.  Asin-asin has been with us for almost two years now. Shoots and leaves are delicious for cooking... I pile up cuttings of banana stalk at the base to provide a cool environment for asin-asin. After two years, I know asin-asin simply love the cooler environment....
asin-asin / sayur manis / cekur manis / sweet leaf / Sauropus Androgynus 



 



 

 

 

 



~bangchik
Putrajaya, Malaysia

25 comments:

  1. Boy oh boy...you sure do have a vegetable or should I say a edible garden. Just can't imagine the meals you have since you grow so many plants I've never heard of.

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  2. I've never heard of this one! But thanks for sharing.

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  3. Some of the prettiest things are not so easy to notice.

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  4. This is my favourite vege and growing it for a long long time. I didn't know its name in english or malay. We call it the Shue Chai Choy or little tree vege because it can grow to be a little tree. Recently I was overjoyed to see one at The Secret Garden and found out its name. It was labeled Sweet Leaf or Sayur Manis. Scientific name Sauropus Androgynus. Bangchik, today I learn the real local malay name from you, i.e. Asin-asin. Thank you very very much, my dear guru!

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  5. I've never seen these but I do have to say what wonderful shots. I can see the veins in the leaves they are so detailed. Thank you for sharing them with us.

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  6. We call them in Sarawak like the Malays call them Changkok Manis, sweet tree. We the Chinese call the SHU ZAI CHOI, little tree veg, you will be interested to know that the early Chinese found the veg so nice that my grand parents took them back to China, but sadly, it doesn't grow there.

    In the garden club allotment, a member grew them, then abandon their lot, the changkok manis grew wild.

    Funny you think the flowers are like cups, we used to think the fruits were like lanterns.

    How big is your garden? Dad was civil servant, so we always lived in the government quarters (until he got his own house). There was always land, and he and mum planted a lot.

    Changkok manis is a good plant, because you can always cut ant cut, and the plant continues to grow.

    Thanks for memories, you see, I left Sarawak in 1974.

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    Replies
    1. Hey, I left Sarawak in 1974 too!! Went to Perth. Aust. What about you? Love changkok manis!

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    2. Wow, I too left Sarawak in 1974 and came to Perth!! Hey, we must get together :) Am growing changkok manis. Slow to grow. Any tips?

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  7. What a delicate vegetable. It must taste good to take such trouble with it.

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    1. Absolutely delicious! Best vege in my opinion :)

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  8. This vege needs minimum care. I have it in my garden too.

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  9. A perfect example of why I love coming to your blog - often you're showing something I've never seen growing where I live. Just beautiful :-) and even better that you can eat it.

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  10. I love to eat the "sayur manis" it taste nice with soup & fried anchovies. When this plant grows in shade, there is a slight flourescent shade on the leaves. I can feel the sweet taste of this vege - just as I was looking at these pictures. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Nice vege! I haven't bought this a long long time already. Time to get some next time I go to the market. Probably not as fresh as you have in your garden :-)

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  12. PATSI, LOTTIE, TATYANA, BELLE, POET, ANN, MARY, RAINNIE, JGH, JAMES, STEPH.

    Thanks for the visit and comments.....

    The land available for gardening is about 30x70, my rough estimate. We use a third, the rest remain as lawn.

    Sayur manis, cekur manis or the scientific name Sauropus Androgynus refer to the same plant. Asin-asin is a name widely used in the northern part of the country.

    Kakdah prefers to cook leaves and shoots of asin-asin with coconut juice. She would add shrimps and sweet potatoes to give a little kick to the dish. Best for lunch, not for dinner....

    I remembered, buying asin-asin at presint 8 market putrajaya. It came in the form of cuttings with leaves attached. Kakdah used up the leaves, I then took 3 cuttings and inserted into the soil. Two sprang into slow action, sprouting.... the third dry up and died. That was two years ago.

    That is the way asin-asin will be in our garden. They have to be regularly cut for the shoots and they keep producing new shoots...

    I love the flowers, very much like cups or lantern hanging.....

    Cheers, Lets put more edible plants in the garden!!!
    ~bangchik
    Putrajaya, Malaysia

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  13. Beautiful photos and such an interesting plant. Kakdah sounds like a good cook!

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  14. Thanks JOANNE and JEANNE for the comments... Kakdah will turn any plain looking veggie into a memorable and satisfying dish.. haha.. come over and have a taste.. ~bangchik

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