Sweet potato leaf cakes during the pandemic.

Sweet potato leaves are cheap in the countryside, require little care, and can be fed with the fertilizer and water used for winter squash. They are mainly grown to add more green vegetables to family meals.

My mother said that taking care of winter squash is extremely hard work, watering and fertilizing twice a day. She meticulously cared for each squash plant from the moment the sprouts began to emerge until the squash bore fruit, yet it was still ravaged by pests and diseases. Sweet potato leaves, on the other hand, didn't require much care and still grew rapidly and lushly. Each vine was thick and spread across the entire plot of land. Some years, when the weather was unfavorable, all the vegetables died in droves, and the fruits and tubers were almost completely lost; only the sweet potato leaves survived, remaining vibrant and green.

Sweet potato leaves are popular because they are very nutritious, help with bowel movements, and cool the body. Furthermore, dishes made from sweet potato leaves are simple and not complicated, making them easy to cook. In the countryside, people often boil sweet potato leaves and dip them in fish sauce; it's delicious and never gets boring. Another simple recipe is to make sweet potato leaf soup, seasoned with readily available ingredients like fish sauce and pork cracklings. That's enough to soothe the hot summer weather.

For the past few months, following the policy of avoiding large gatherings and limiting unnecessary outings during the unpredictable Covid-19 pandemic, my mother hasn't gone to the market and has been flexibly diversifying her dishes with sweet potato leaves, such as sweet potato leaf salad, sweet potato leaves stir-fried with garlic, and sweet potato leaves stir-fried with mushrooms… Among the dishes during the pandemic, the most impressive to us is my mother's unique sweet potato leaf cake.

Making sweet potato leaf pancakes isn't too difficult, just a little bit complicated. My mom chooses the tender, vibrant green leaves, washes them thoroughly, blanchs them in boiling water for two minutes, then drains them. Once the leaves have cooled, she chops them finely. She adds two or three duck eggs (or chicken eggs) to cornstarch and water in the appropriate ratio. She stirs until the batter is smooth and thick, with no lumps and the sweet potato leaves mixed in. If the batter is too dry, she adds more water. She adds the chopped sweet potato leaves and seasons to taste. She heats peanut oil, pours the batter in ladlefuls, and fries them slowly over low heat. When the bottom of the pancake turns golden brown, she flips it over and fries until the other side is cooked through. Once cooked, she removes them to a plate and cuts them into cute little triangles to enjoy.

As a child, I loved my mother's sweet potato leaf cake because it was soft, fragrant, and had a unique flavor. Sweet potato leaf cake can be a main dish for a family meal or a snack. Enjoying sweet potato leaf cake, besides changing up your palate, is also a way to save time and money, and a way to remember a difficult time in the past, making you appreciate the present even more.

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