Stir-fried water spinach. Is it a Thai dish? Vietnamese? I’m not too sure, really; I’ve had it in both Thailand and Vietnam. But who cares where the recipe is from? It’s a yummy, spicy, tasty dish that’s quick to make, and healthy, too.
Other Names for Water Spinach
Water spinach or morning glory is scientifically known as Ipomoea aquatica. Names of water spinach in other languages include: water convolvulus, swamp cabbage (English); ong choi (Cantonese); rau muong (Vietnamese); and pak bung (Thai). It is used a lot in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, but also extensively throughout East and South-East Asia.
Vitamins and Nutritional Value of Morning Glory
Water spinach contains several vitamins, including A, B, C and E. It is also rich in iron and calcium, phosphorus, carotene, sitosterol and protein. Water spinach is also used to treat stomach and intestinal disorders.
Tasty and Spicy Water Spinach
This very simple, quick vegetarian dish can be made spicy to taste. I like lots of chilli, and I also add a little cracked black pepper for extra sharpness. I also love garlic, so I’m very generous with that, too.
The dish can be served as a stand-alone, as a side dish to any Asian meat or noodle dish or as a main meal with boiled or steamed rice, or even egg noodles.
What You’ll Need – Ingredients
- Wok
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
- About 300g water spinach
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 4-5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-2 spring onions (optional)
- 2-3 fresh red chillies, sliced
- Cracked black pepper (optional)
Time Needed
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Directions
Starting at the stems, cut the water spinach in pieces of about 5 cm (approx. 2 in) in length all the way up to and including the leaves. Like most spinach, the leaf volume will shrink drastically when cooked, but make sure the length of the pieces are edible with chopsticks. (I’ve found that cutting them too long can make the spinach difficult to eat, or fit into your mouth).
- Heat the oil in the wok.
- Toss in garlic and onion and stir fry until onions are soft or the garlic just browning.
- Toss in the water spinach and stir in well with onions and garlic. A few tablespoons of water can be added, if there is not enough moisture or so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add soy sauce. Toss well so all the leaves/stems are coated. (Add more water if necessary).
- Add chillies, pepper.
- Let cook, mixing occasionally, for about 5 minutes. The leaves of the spinach will become limp, but the stems should not lose their crispness.
Serves 2 as a main dish with rice.
Ingredients Instead of Morning Glory
This dish can also be made with baby spinach, green beans or snow peas, broccoli, bok choy – basically any green vegetable. Adjust the amount of soy sauce, water added and cooking time accordingly.
MyHue McGowran - A published print and online journalist, Mý Huê is currently a self-employed translator, copywriter, editor. She lives in Vienna, ...
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