Differentiating Water Spinach
Water spinach is a familiar food in the daily meals of every family. People can choose water spinach to cook various dishes such as boiled water spinach, stir-fried water spinach, water spinach salad, etc. to make the whole family enjoy their meals more.
So how to identify clean water spinach and water spinach with chemicals?
Identifying clean water spinach by the appearance
To know if the water spinach you choose has been sprayed with too many chemicals or not, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the vegetable.
Avoid choosing water spinach with larger stems, black leaves, and crispy texture as this type of vegetable is usually fertilized with too much nitrogen or absorbs too many heavy metals.
Water spinach with chemicals is often easy to crush, although the young shoots are smooth but it takes a long time to cook. Especially when you break the stem of the vegetable, there is little to no sap flowing. Therefore, women need to pay attention when buying.
Differentiating clean water spinach by taste and after cooking
Based on practical experience, water spinach containing stimulants when cooked usually has a bitter taste and dark color. On the contrary, clean water spinach is very green, crunchy, and naturally refreshing.
In addition, some housewives also have tips to differentiate clean water spinach from water spinach with chemicals through the boiling water. If the water is dark, even though lemon juice is added, it is still difficult to turn green like clean water spinach.
Secret to Stir-Fried Water Spinach Just Like Restaurant Quality
a. Preparing the water spinach
– Remove the tough stems and yellow leaves of the water spinach if any. Depending on your preference, you can cut off some leaves or cut off all the leaves and use only the stems of the water spinach. Then, cut into 5-6 cm lengths.
– Soak the vegetable in a little sea salt, then rinse well and let it dry.
b. Preparing the sauce mixture
Because stir-frying water spinach needs to be done quickly over high heat, it is advisable to prepare the sauce mixture in advance to avoid wasting time seasoning, which can make the vegetable lose its crispness.
– Prepare a common sauce mixture for all stir-fried vegetables, which can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a whole month, very convenient: Mix oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and broth in the above ratio (for one use. If prepared for a month, increase the amount accordingly). Then stir well until completely dissolved and become a rich mixture. If you like spicy food, you can add chili sauce.
– Specifically for water spinach and sweet potato leaves, you can replace oyster sauce with shrimp paste. Dissolve it with other ingredients and set aside.
c. Quick-boiling the water spinach before stir-frying
This step helps the water spinach be both crunchy and fresh:
Pour water into a boiling pot with a little salt and cooking oil (salt keeps the vegetable green, and oil makes the surface of the leaves softer). When the water boils, quickly blanch the water spinach (in small batches) for about 15-20 seconds. Then immediately transfer them to a bowl of cold water with ice for a few minutes. If there is no ice water, you can rinse it under cold tap water. Do not think this step takes time, in fact, it saves a lot of stir-frying time, especially the icy water helps the vegetable stay fresh and green, and extremely crunchy.
d. How to stir-fry water spinach:
– Heat the oil in a hot pan, add minced garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Then turn the heat to high, add the water spinach to the pan and stir quickly, then add the prepared sauce mixture. Stir the vegetable evenly to absorb the seasoning, cook evenly for 1-2 minutes depending on the amount of vegetable, taste and adjust the seasoning if desired.
– Turn off the heat, transfer the stir-fried water spinach to a plate, sprinkle with fried garlic on top, and add chili if desired. In some regions, you can also sprinkle with roasted peanuts and crispy pork fat to add a crunchy and delicious touch to the dish.
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