I found a simple recipe for a new vegetable! After a couple of attempts at making this dish, I’ve decided that next time, I would just need to tweak the amount of sesame oil that I add.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
I have yet to try everything in the produce section at the nearby supermarket. This time, I found Taiwan spinach on sale and bought a bag.
Inspiring Recipe
To make this vegetable, I referenced the recipe, Taiwan Spinach, on a blog that I’ve tried before, Onolicious Hawaii. The last dish that I made from this website was Shoyu Chicken, as described here.
First Try
After purchasing the main ingredient, I only had to grab the remaining items from my kitchen.
Ingredients to Use
For 1.34 pounds of Taiwan spinach, I included the following:
- 11 cloves of garlic
- 2/3 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1 1/4 teaspoons of sesame oil
In addition, I had avocado oil readily available for Step 2.
Steps to Prepare
For the four steps, I only modified the first one. By removing the stems from the roots at the beginning, I was able to see that I washed the dirt away from the spinach.
On a side note, I cooked the stems and leaves for 2 minutes each in Step 3.
Time to Eat
As with other leafy vegetables, the cooked version usually shrunk. This was the case for the Taiwan spinach as well, as shown below.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 * |  | | |
The Taiwan spinach was good, with the right amount of saltiness and garlicky flavor. Also, the sesame oil rounded out the taste nicely.
Lastly, my family definitely enjoyed the dish as it was cleaned out!
Second Try
For the second attempt, I just wanted to repeat the recipe and savor the wonderful flavors again.
Ingredients to Use
This time, the bag of vegetables was a little heavier. To complement the 1.5 pounds of Taiwan spinach, I increased the remaining items to the following:
- 12 cloves of garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
As I did before, I had avocado oil available for Step 2.
Steps to Prepare
As for the process, I didn’t deviate from what I did before.
Time to Eat
After the Taiwan spinach was done, it looked more wilted than before.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 * | | | |
What stood out this time was that the vegetables were soft, but I couldn’t taste any of the sesame oil. Still, the dish was good with the salty and garlicky flavors coming through.
Lastly, my older son enjoyed it as well.
Because there were inconsistencies with the sesame oil flavor between the two tries, I will do the following next time:
Continuous Improvement
- Taste the vegetables and add more sesame oil before plating, if needed.
After trying out this recipe, I learned the following that I would like to share with my prior self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- A recipe is just a guide and sometimes it needs to be adjusted for unforeseen variables.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Taiwan Spinach, from the blog, Onolicious Hawaii?
- Share your favorite way of cooking Taiwan spinach?
- Ask a question or leave a note in the Comment box below about this post?
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