Swamp Cabbage
About
There are two types of swamp cabbage referred to in cooking. The first is the swamp cabbage from the heart of the cabbage palm or sabal palm , and the other is a leafy vegetable that thrives in water with a scientific name of Ipomoea aquatica.
The former is harvested by"killing" the tree. The hard bark of the palm is removed, until all you have is a cylinder shape of about 3 feet long. This heart of the palm is the edible part and can be eaten raw or cooked.
The latter is used most commonly in the east and southeast Asian cuisine. It is stir-fried with oyster sauce and shrimp paste in Thailand, and in the Philippines, the leaves are coated with a batter made of eggs, flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper, then deep-fried until the leaves are crispy and golden brown.
