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stir-fried water spinach
Before last week, I’d never heard of water spinach, but I saw an article in the newspaper about someone finding it at a farmer’s market and trying it out. Then, this Saturday, we went to our local farmer’s market and the stand run by the Vietnamese family had some for sale. Always willing to try out something new, I bought up the bunch. I had no idea how to cook it or what fancy preparations it needed. There was no reason to worry because this recipe couldn’t be easier. Sure it has a few ethnic ingredients, but nothing that most modern American megamarts don’t already carry in their ethnic food aisles.
In the end it was not unlike regular spinach and I think that would be an acceptable substitute, but the water spinach was different in, if nothing else, at least texture. After stir-frying, it retained a lot of its crunch.
Ingredients:
1 bunch water spinach, about 1 pound
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fish sauce (also called nuoc mam)
optional: 1 large clove garlic, minced
Directions:
1. Wash, drain, and trim the water spinach, cutting off the woody ends, about 2-3 inches.
2. Heat the oil in wok over high heat. (Stir-fry the optional garlic for about 1 minute. Don’t let it burn; cook only until it’s fragrant.)
3. Add the water spinach and season with black pepper. Stir fry until it’s wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the fish sauce, stir, cover, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
(The fish sauce has a very distinctive taste and cannot be easily substituted. Try to find it, if not in your supermarket, then in an Asian food market.)
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