Fish Sinigang with Talbos ng Kamote

Sinigang With Sweet Potato Leaves

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Making this dish is the same as sinigang except guava is used instead of tamarind to sour the soup. The Guava instant soup base is also available at the Asian stores.

I used sweet potato leaves (talbos ng kamote) as greens instead of kangkong or mustard greens. And I used pompano for the fish.

As I was walking by my flowerbed, I looked at the sweet potato plant I have.  This plant started as an ornamental variegated potted plant I bought at a nursery.  It died back in the winter and came back the next spring but not as variegated anymore.  It reverted to its original form.  It was planted in the ground in my flowerbed and became prolific dying back in the winter and coming back in the spring. 

An Idea sparked in my head once again.  I gathered some talbos and thought of steaming it and just dress it with vinegar and salt to have as a side dish but instead I opted to use it in cooking the pompano fish as sinigang.  I did not know for sure if these leaves I have were the same and edible as what I knew and remember but I got brave and hesitantly tried it. It was very good.

I found out this vegetable is available at the Asian market.  I just didn’t know it’s name in Vietnamese or Chinese.  I was looking for kangkong but the store did not have them at the time.  Instead I saw some greens I thought were kangkong that was bundled and in plastic bags.  When I got home and was ready to use them I didn’t know exactly what they were except I knew they were edible.  After examining the leaves I figured they were sweet potato leaves but they were much larger than mine.