From The Straits Times    |

Photo: Lim Yaohui, The Straits Times

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
1kg sweet potatoes
300g green kale
2 medium onions or 1 large one
3-4 cloves garlic
250g smoked pork belly
1 tsp shichimi togarashi, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
4 sunny-side-up eggs (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1 Peel the sweet potatoes and steam over high heat, until a paring knife just about goes through to the centre. A 250g sweet potato will take 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool thoroughly. You can do this the night before making the hash. Refrigerate the sweet potatoes and take them out about 30 minutes before you start cooking.
2 After the potatoes have cooled completely, cut them into 2cm chunks and set aside.
3 Rinse the kale under running water, pat dry. Using a sharp knife, slice off and discard the tough stem in the middle of each leaf. Slice the leaves crosswise into 1cm-wide ribbons. Set aside. Peel and finely slice the onions, peel and finely chop the garlic.
4 Slice the smoked pork belly into 1cm-think strips. Place in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Stir to prevent burning and allow the fat to render.
5 Add the onions, stir-fry until wilted, then add the garlic and stir it well into the pork and onions for about 30 seconds.
6 Add the kale and let it wilt. Turn the heat down to medium low and let cook for at least five minutes, stirring with a silicone spatula.
7 Turn the heat back up to medium high and add the sweet potatoes. Cook for another five minutes or so, tossing the ingredients with the spatula. Be gentle – you do not want to break up the sweet potatoes.
8 Add the shichimi togarashi and salt and mix well. Have a taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
9 Divide the mixture among four plates and top each one with a sunny-side-up egg if desired. Serve.

This article was first published in Sunday Life!, 12 April 2015.