Over the past month, we’ve been hitting the wet markets in search of exotic stuff to share with you. Well, good news! We have found a couple of vegetables that would make any gourmand, Trader Joe’s, and Dean & Deluca fan green with envy. Here are just a few vegetables we found:-
#1 – Baby String Beans
Major hoarding action happened when we saw some of these at the KPD market. We bought two huge bags to share with others. You could deep fry, stir fry or steam these baby string beans. Top them with sauteed minced meat of any kind. Yummy! (RM5 per kg)
Where to find them: KPD and KK Wet market (seasonal)
#2 – Papaya Flowers
We’re not really sure how to cook these papaya flowers, but the villagers usually eat this for health maintenance. Timorese people seem to love it. You’ll be the first to know when we find a yummy recipe. (RM1.50 per bunch)
Where to find them: Seasonal tamu markets in Sabah
#3 – Baby Cucumber-Loofah
When I saw these baby cucumber-like loofah that are about the length of human fingers, the first thing that came to mind was how tender it might be if they were tossed in salads. The vege stall operator specifically told me that they are best pickled (like baby gherkins). I bet they’d be great on burgers. I did try them raw but they are definitely not as tender and juicy like cucumbers. Price: RM3 per bag (RM3/US$1 per bag)
Where to find them: Gaya street market
#4 – Paku Pakis
Paku Pakis is a popular fern that the local indigenous people of Sabah and Malay people use in their cooking. It is not that hard to find them at some supermarkets, but the freshly harvested riverside bunches that are sold at Gaya Street on Sunday mornings are superior in quality and freshness. They are really young and tender. It is so fresh that the scent of the forest can still be detected if you take a whiff. Ostrich ferns are best cooked with belacan, red chillies and dried shrimp, much like Kangkong Belacan. They are also great when made into Malay-style Kerabu Pakis, Nyonya-style Kerabu Pakis, and/or Indonesian-style Gulai Pakis, which is stewed in a rich coconut milk broth. We got them for RM1 per bunch (US$0.30)
Where to find them: Gaya Street market
#5 – Radish Shoots/Daikon Leaves
Daikon is commonly consumed by Asians, but their shoots are not so commonly plucked for consumption. Up until a few weeks ago, we have never eaten or cooked a plate of daikon radish shoots. We stirfried these with garlic and oil and it wilts beautifully like very young choy sum(mustard greens). Taste wise they were a bit bitter (like beet greens) but it’s quite nice to have alongside typical Chinese dishes. We paid RM3 for a bunch.
Where to find them: Gaya Street market
#6 – Sweet Pea Sprouts
At better Chinese restaurants around Malaysia and Singapore, sometimes you may come across the exotic option of Dou Miao on their seasonal menu. They use that term for any kind of pea sprouts, so you have to ask them specifically what kind of “Dou Miao” they have. What’s fabulous about being in Sabah is that they are relatively easy to get. These are lovely flash stirfried with a bit of olive oil, salt and garlic. It’s so fine you can even toss raw slivers into your salads.
Where to get: KPD market (before 11am)
#7 – ‘Di Wang Miao’ Sprouts
These are called ‘Earth King’ sprouts, and they have a lot of mucilage like okra. ‘Di Wang Miao’ is becoming very common in Sabah, but may still be exotic to tourists and travelers. They are nice when stirfried with garlic and oyster sauce, but I have also seen my grandmother toss them into Chinese clear soups with minced pork and salt. Mucilage is said to be good for regularity, so we imagine this to be good for colon health.
Where to find them: Wet markets in Sabah
#8 – Snow Pea Sprouts
Love snow peas? Then you’ll probably like snow pea sprouts, which is a type of ‘Dou Miao.’ These are so tender, sweet and delicious when stirfried in the Chinese style. It’s usually about RM12-14 per kg. Not to worry though. The leaves are relatively light, so a good plate would probably cost you about RM3.00 to serve for a party of 5.
Where to find them: KPD, Bundusan Market (before 11am)
#9 – Young Ground Nuts
Ground nuts are usually grown in Kudat, but these are probably just grown by a farming enthusiast. Throw away the top bit and steam or boil the ground nuts their shells, or remove the nuts from the shells and put them in your soups and stews. They are delicious! You’d pay about RM3.00 per bunch.
Where to find them: Gaya Street market
#10 – Locally-grown Zucchini
Zucchinis are not exotic in the Mediterranean or the Western world, but it is definitely a vegetable that isn’t common in tropical Borneo. If you wanted some to make Italian or Continental Western food, you’d have to usually hit Tong Hing or Merdeka Supermarket to get those that are imported from Australia. That is until you read about it here. There are farmers who have (by trial and error), managed to grow zucchinis in Sabah. The first couple of batches that appeared at the market were oversized and too mature, but subsequent batches are looking a lot smaller and more tender. A regular-sized zucchini costs about RM2.00 – 4.00 as opposed to the imported varieties that can reach up to RM10-18.
Where to find them: Buah-buahan Yong, Tai Seng Supermarket
#11 – Fully-grown Cucumber-Loofah
The outside looks like a patterned cucumber, but the inside looks exactly like petola (edible loofah). We bought 3 of them for RM2 at the Kudat market (haven’t seen it anywhere else), so be on the lookout for it. Cook it like you would cook petola or any kind of spongy gourd. (I.e. stirfried with garlic,eggs and chicken stock)
Where to find them: Wet markets in Sabah
#12 – Bayam Kampung (Exotic Village Spinach)
This variety is the cousin of the commercial Asian spinach. They are not grown in large scale for commercial consumption, but you can sometimes find it among the Kadazan-Dusun vegetable sellers at the wet market. Ethnic villagers grow these together with padi in the same fields, and harvest them when they are sprouted to about a foot high. We got two generous bunches of Bayam Kampung for RM1 per bunch at KPD market.
Where to find them: Wet markets in Sabah
I just have one caveat to add. Some of these are rarer than orchid sightings. So happy hunting, and let me know what you think if you get your hands on some of these vegetables.
P/S: We’ll add new exotic veges to this list as they become available!
