I have fond memories of water spinach, or rau muống, from my childhood. My mother used to grow this vegetable in our garden, and we had a dish made from it almost every day. While I wasn’t a big fan of boiled or soupy rau muống, I absolutely loved it stir-fried with garlic.
My mother had a special talent for preparing rau muống. Her stir-fried dish always maintained a vibrant green color, and she shared with me some secrets to achieving this. Many people believe that blanching the vegetable before stir-frying is the way to go, but it actually compromises the crispness of the rau muống.
Today, I will share with you my mother’s foolproof recipe for delicious stir-fried rau muống with garlic. With these simple steps, you can create a dish that retains the vegetable’s crispness and flavor without turning it black.
5 Tips for Crispy and Tasty Stir-Fried Water Spinach
– Soak the water spinach in water mixed with vinegar to maintain its crispness and green color.
– Instead of directly seasoning the vegetable with salt, prepare a sauce with salt, light soy sauce, and other ingredients.
– Water spinach cooks quickly, so you only need to stir-fry it for about 2 minutes.
– Do not blanch the water spinach before stir-frying to preserve its crispness.
– Maintain a high heat throughout the stir-frying process to prevent the vegetable from losing water and chlorophyll. Stir-fry quickly and evenly to ensure even cooking, a vibrant green color, and a crisp texture. Using low heat will result in soft, dark, and unappetizing water spinach.
STIR-FRIED WATER SPINACH WITH GARLIC
Ingredients
– Water spinach: 1 bunch
– Garlic: 1 bulb
– Dried chili peppers: 2 (optional)
– Salt
– Light soy sauce
– Vinegar
– Sugar
Instructions
1. Remove the old stems and yellow leaves from the water spinach, then cut it into 5-8 cm long pieces and wash it thoroughly. Soak the vegetable in water mixed with vinegar for about 10 minutes, then drain it.
Note: When purchasing water spinach, choose fresh, young, thin-stemmed bunches. Avoid thick, older stems as they tend to be less tasty.
2. Prepare the sauce by mixing salt, light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons of water in a clean bowl.
3. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut the chili peppers into sections, discarding the stems.
4. Heat up some cooking oil in a wok or pan. Add the chopped garlic and chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant. Toss in the water spinach and quickly stir-fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute over high heat.
When the vegetable starts to soften, pour in the prepared sauce and continue stir-frying for another 30 seconds to allow the flavors to absorb.
5. Turn off the heat and transfer the stir-fried water spinach to a serving plate. Although the cooking method is a bit unusual, the resulting dish is incredibly tasty.
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