Vietnamese Water Spinach Stir Fry With Garlic
This simple refreshing Vietnamese water spinach and garlic stir fry is packed full of flavor yet is so easy and simple to make. It’s going to be an instant hit with your friends and family!
Equipment
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 350 g Water spinach
- 4-5 Cloves Minced garlic
- 2 tsp Fish sauce I used Squid Brand in this recipe
- 1 tsp Chicken powder
- 1-2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp White granulated sugar
- 3 Cloves Crushed garlic
Instructions
Preparing the Vegetables
- Start by making a small cut at the end of the stem of the water spinach and discard this.
- Now cut and divide the water spinach into 3-4 sections approximately 3-4 inches in length.
- Optional step: Trim off some of the leaves of the water spinach. Some people like to have more crunch in their water spinach dish and therefore prefer to have fewer leaves and more stems in the dish.
- Now wash the water spinach thoroughly in cold water and then let it soak in cold water while you bring a pot of water to a boil.
- While waiting for the pot to boil, mince your cloves of garlic and set it aside.
- Finally, crush 3 cloves of garlic and set it aside as well.
Blanching the Water Spinach
- When the pot of water comes to a boil, add about a tsp of table salt along with a Tbsp of cooking oil to the pot. Give it a quick mix and then add in your water spinach to the pot of boiling water. The salt and cooking oil will help the water spinach retain its nice vibrant green color.
- Blanch the water spinach for roughly around 2 minutes and then immediately remove it from the pot and put the water spinach in an ice bath (ice cubes + water) or under cold running water for about 15 seconds. Then let it strain on a basket and dry out.
Preparing the Sauce
- In a small bowl add your oyster sauce, chicken powder, white granulated sugar, and fish sauce. Mix everything well together and set it aside.
Cooking the Water Spinach
- Heat up a wok over medium-low heat and then add in your cooking oil and evenly distribute the oil around the wok.
- Once the oil starts to shimmer and has become hot, add in your minced garlic and stir-fry this for about 15-20 seconds before adding in your water spinach to the wok.
- Immediately turn up the heat to medium-high and stir fry everything for about 30 seconds.
- Now add in your sauce and stir-fry everything together for another 30 seconds.
- Finally, add your crushed garlic to the wok and stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute before transferring everything to a plate or bowl.
- Serve the dish while it’s still hot for best results