'Tis the season for morning glory

It never used to be so available in Chinese supermarkets, but in recent years, morning glory is fairly common when it's in season (right around now) in Toronto markets.  They are considered "special" in restaurants with corresponding special prices.  In reality, they sell for under $2 a pound and are surprisingly easy to make.  I made it a couple of times last year after I came back from a trip to Vietnam where it was "the" vegetable.  All I used was oil and soy sauce and it tasted great.
When I saw them this week at the local market, I bought some spicy fermented bean curd to make the veggie the traditional Chinese way - 腐乳通菜.

Morning glory, or water spinach (you'll recognize it by its hollow stems), tastes better than it looks. The hollow stems gave the impression that it might be chewy.  But cooked right, the stems are crisp and crunchy, contrasting nicely against the soft texture of the leaves.

After you've washed it, cut the leafy part from the stems and cut the stems up into 3 inch pieces.  Heat up oil in a pan - you may need to use a bit more oil than usual because morning glory likes oil! While oil is heating up, mash up 1-2 bricks of spicy fermented bean curd.  Add the bean curd to the hot oil and when you can smell the flavour, add the stems first.  Stir and mix the bean curd sauce with the stems until it's almost cooked (you can tell from the bright green colour), then add the leaves, a dash of sugar and stir some more.  A couple more minutes and it's done!  
Note:  No need to add salt or soy sauce as the bean curd is very salty as is.

Spicy fermented bean curd in a small jar

Spicy bean curd mashed up

Morning glory cut up with stems on top

Done - you can tell from the colour

First foray into Middle Eastern cuisine

Well, it's not the first time we've tried Middle Eastern food but the first time we have ventured into a restaurant serving it in Toronto.  We've visited Morocco and have served hummus forever at home but to taste it at an actual Middle Eastern restaurant is a first for us.  Our Summerlicious experience at Tabule was tasty and fun - from the water jug to the hanging lamp and quaint teapot, it was all a new experience.

The appetizer - a combination platter of humus, babaganuj, tabule and falafel served with chewy flatbread (I love it!) - was a meal in itself.  The falafel was delicious - I could have gone home then and not need anything more for the night.  But I had my eye on the dessert, the Knaffa Ashta, angel hair filo topped with custard and topped off with rosewater syrup.  So I stuck around for the skewered ground beef and lamb (nice sauce but the meat was a little overcooked).  It was served with tasty spiced rice and grilled veggies.  But truly, the highlight was the Knaffa Ashta, served warm - it was a heavenly dessert!

This is just a foretaste of what we might expect on our upcoming trip to Istanbul - a variation on similar themes, no doubt - substitute an "a" for an "e" and it's the same dish, almost...

Love that water jug!

Pickles

Combination platter of humus, babaganuj, tabule and falafel

Skewered chicken breast, tender and moist, served on rice and grilled vegetables

Kefta Banadura - skewered ground beef and lamb

Knaffa Ashta - angel hair filo topped with custard and topped off with rosewater syrup