Chips! - Assam Leaves, Sour Spinach, Roselle Leaves

We usually choose a resilient leaf to make a chip, or else the hours of dehydrating will yield a papery mass. I like Kailan, but I decided to try out chip making with the nondescript local leave called Assam Leaf (at Sheng Shiong). It is actually called sour spinach elsewhere and actually a member of the hibiscus family that we in Asia know quite well....the Roselle!

Known for its anti-hypertensive properties, the Roselle plants is well used in Asia - for its succulent fruits and flavoursome sour leaves and flowers. The leaves are really cheap - a giant pack just for a Singapore dollar. Don't let its looks deceive you, the leaves look resilient but yield a delectable crunch in the mouth and is used for many an Asian salad from Cambodia to Sarawak.

I am a strong proponent for eating close to home and uncovering the treasure trove of local greens that has sadly fallen off the radar of many Singaporeans trained to eat mundanely by limited supermarket stocklists. Many local greens thrive on poor soil and grow so profusely that it makes a laughing stock of all the crazy effort that it takes to grow a foreign green like romaine.

This chip is savoury and tangy - for those who love to make the lips pucker in delight.

Ingredients
1 big bunch of roselle leaves cleaned and stems discarded

Dressing:
2 cloves of garlic grated
2 tbs of tahini
1 tbs miso
1 tbs honey

Method
Mix the dressing in large mixing bowl
Coat the leaves with the dressing, lay it out on mesh and dehydrate till crispy - about 8 hours.

Kale (or Kailan) Chips

I love kailan and I love my miso hawthorn vinegar dressing - so why not combine both?
The result is a very very addictive crispy chip that you cannot put down.

Key ingredient
Organic Kailan or Kale (1 kg) use only the leaves. Keep the stalks for juicing or feeding the turtles :)


Dressing
1 tbs of barley miso
2 heaped tbs of tahini
1 tbs of honey
2 tbs of hawthorn vinegar

Putting it together
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing really well in a large mixing bowl. Tear the Kailan into large pieces (remember it will shrink down to half its size). Using your hands, dig in and coat each leaf with the dressing. Put it in the dehydrator and dry till crispy (about 12 hours).

Enjoy the crackle. Feed it to your kids.