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Water Spinach Stir-Fried with Garlic

Ingredients

Flavoring Sauce

3

/4 teaspoon sugar

1

1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

1

1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2

teaspoons canola or other neutral oil

3

cloves garlic, finely chopped

Trimmed, cut, and blanched water spinach (opposite)

1

1/2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil

1

1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To make the flavoring sauce, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and oil and stir to mix well. Stir in half of the garlic and set aside.

    Step 2

    In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the remaining garlic and stir-fry for about 15 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the water spinach and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, or until heated through. Give the flavoring sauce a stir to recombine and then add it to the pan and toss with the greens to distribute evenly. When the water spinach starts releasing its taupe-colored juices, add the cornstarch mixture. Cook for another minute, or until the sauce thickens slightly and the spinach takes on a silky finish. Transfer to a plate and serve.

  2. SELECTING AND STORING WATER SPINACH

    Step 3

    To minimize waste, select freshly cut bunches with stems no wider than 1/4 inch. Once home, trim the ends (like a bunch of flowers), wrap the bottom 3 to 4 inches of stems in damp paper towels, and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to keep crisp. Cook the greens within a couple days.

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Adapted with permission from ‘Into the Vietnamese Kitchen’ by Andrea Nguyen, copyright © 2006. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

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