Sweet potato leaves

Ipomoea batatas · Leafy green

40 pairings

Sweet potato leaves are the tender shoots, young leaves and stem tips of the sweet potato plant (Ipomoea batatas) — a leafy green eaten widely across tropical Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Mild, faintly grassy and slightly mucilaginous when cooked, they are a free, nutrient-dense by-product of the root crop.

Picking a good onedrag

Deep even colour, springy tipsYellow, limp and slimy

Shop freshThe all-rounder — stir-fried with garlic, blanched and dressed, or dropped into a soup at the end.Everyday best

Leaf colourStill even, a shade duller at the rims

The shoot tipsBends first, then snaps damp

The liftStands, then folds over slowly

Smell at the bunchGreen and neutral, almost nothing

What to look for, from deep even colour, springy tips to yellow, limp and slimy.

Preparing