← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 500 g water spinach (morning glory), tough ends trimmed, cut into 8 cm lengths
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Fish sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp crispy fried garlic or shallots (optional)

Method

1. Wash the water spinach and shake it as dry as you can. Keep the thicker stem pieces separate from the leafy tops.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry half the garlic for 20–30 seconds, until pale golden and fragrant.
3. Turn the heat to high, add the stems and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the leaves and the rest of the garlic.
4. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar and toss for 1–2 minutes, just until the leaves wilt and the stems are bright green and still crunchy.
5. Serve straight away, topped with crispy garlic or shallots, alongside rice and a braised dish like cá kho tộ.

Tips

• Oyster sauce usually contains wheat. For a vegetarian version use mushroom “vegetarian oyster sauce” and soy sauce.
• Don’t overcook it: the crunch is the point, and it keeps cooking on the plate.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Vicky Pham Savory Sweet Spoon Great British Chefs