Yen Can Cook ~ Sayur Manis Fish Balls Soup
Sayur Manis/Pucuk Manis, sweet leaf in English, or commonly known as Mani Cai (马尼菜) in Mandarin, is a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. It is a good source of vitamin K and also have high level of provita-min A carotenoids, especially in freshly picked leaves, as well as high levels of vitamins B and C, protein and minerals. It is important to note that Sayur Manis leaves contain a certain amount of oxalic acids that can prove to be toxic when consumed in large amounts and they must be cooked before consumption.
In Malaysia, Sayur Manis is always appear as one of the ingredients in PanMee. Stir fried with egg is another way to enjoy the vegetables but today’s recipe is an easy soup dish of Sayur Manis in anchovy broth.
Ingredients (Serve: 3-4)
150g± Sayur Manis
1 egg
6-10 fish balls
80-100g anchovies
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced/chopped
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1200ml water
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Step 1: Separate Sayu Manis leaves from stems, soak and rinse well the leaves. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Wash the anchovies under running water, twice. Drain, pat dry and set aside.
Step 3: Heat up cooking oil in a pot then turn to low heat, stir fry the anchovies (Step 2) until golden brown. Dish out and set aside.
Step 4: In the same pot, saute the garlic till fragrant, then add in 2/3 of the fried anchovies (Step 3). Pour in water, bring to a boil, let the broth cook with low heat for 15-20 minutes.
Step 5: Use a slotted ladle, remove anchovies and garlic. Remove any impurities with a sieve. Add in fish balls and cook until they float to the surface.
Step 6: Break in the egg and lightly stir to mix. Add in Sayur Manis (Step 1), turn to high heat and bring to a boil again.
Step 7: Off the heat, season with salt and pepper. Topped with the remaining fried anchovies (Step 4) and serve.
HAPPY COOKING! #stayhealthy #staysafe





Comfort food, I like!
KY, indeed. 🙂
I hardly eat mani-cai and I remember my mum used to buy this vegetable when I was in school. She also cooked it in soup but without the ikan bilis and fish balls.
PH, more visually appealing with these two ingredients, hehe 😛
This vegetable can potentially be harmful to lungs if not cooked properly. I think this article should mention this, as not everyone outside of Southeast Asia is familiar with it.
Anonymous, thank you for the reminder, will add into my article.