Sautéed Amaranth or Egyptian Spinach with Hot & Garlicky Sauce
Yield
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1-2 dried Thai chiles (or other small hot pepper)
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
⅛ tsp Sichuan pepper or white pepper, ground
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
1 bunch amaranth greens or Egyptian Spinach, leaves and stems separated
½ cup water
Instructions
In a very small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the garlic and chili pepper. Stir the garlic carefully in the oil to keep it from sticking. Cook until the garlic just starts to turn golden. Remove from heat and set aside to cool and steep for about 10-15 minutes.
When the oil mixture is cooled, add soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper, ginger and cinnamon. Heat the mixture over medium heat. When the sauce just starts to bubble, start stirring to keep the sugar from sticking. Simmer and cook for about 1 minute, then remove from heat and set aside.
Heat ½ cup water in a medium sauté pan. When it begins to simmer, add the amaranth or Egyptian Spinach stems (cut into bite-sized pieces), then add the leaves on top. Cover and allow the greens to steam and wilt down for about 1 minute, then remove the cover. Stir the greens to make sure all the leaves are incorporated into the steam or water. Simmer for about 5-8 minutes until the leaves are tender and most, but not all of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the sauce, stir to combine and return to a simmer. Simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes then remove from heat.
The sauce and greens are very rich, so just a small portion is tasty served along with rice and sautéed fish, chicken or tofu.
Notes
This recipe was created by a previous Harmony Valley Farm chef, Andrea Yoder, and was featured in a previous newsletter in 2013.
For more amazing recipes featuring vegetables from your CSA boxes, visit our recipe archives!
