Stir-Fried Amaranth with Garlic
Difficulty Level Easy
When my son, Hugh and I were wandering around the farmers' market last week I spied something I'd never seen before. I asked the farmer what the name of the vegetable was he and he replied "pig weed." I guess the look on my face said it all, because he added "amaranth." Hugh's hand shot out instantly to take a bunch. I was a bit surprised at his alacrity until he said with a lowered voice "Fuchsia uses it." Then my hand shot out for a bunch of my own. "Fuschia" refers to Fuchsia Dunlop, the author of Land of Plenty and Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. Hugh and I are big devotees of her books, so the amaranth was something we had to try.
Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook had two recipes for amaranth, boiled and stir-fried. I'm not a huge fan of boiling greens, so I opted for the stir-fry. It has quite a strong taste to it. I thought it was akin to rapini on my first bite, but then I noticed a real spinach flavour to it as well. I just ate it straight with a pinch of salt on it, but I think you could squeeze a bit of lemon juice, or yuzu on it as well.
INGREDIENTS
| 10 | ounces amaranth, largest stems removed |
| 3 tbsp | peanut oil |
| 2 | garlic cloves, sliced |
| salt to taste | |
PREPARATION:
- Heat a wok over a high flame until smoke rises, then add peanut oil and swirl around. Add the garlic cloves and sizzle briefly until fragrant. Add the amaranth and stir-fry until the leaves wilt and the stems are tender, and juices have gathered on the bottom of the wok. Add salt to taste.
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