VietnamRecipe 029 of 100
Rau Muống Xào Tỏi (Garlic Water Spinach)
rau muống xào tỏi (DN)zau moong sao toy
About this recipe
Water spinach stir-fried hard and fast with a great deal of garlic. It appears on Vietnamese tables constantly, as the green counterweight to a braise or a grilled plate. The whole dish takes about four minutes once the pan is hot, and almost all of the skill is in not overcooking it.
Recipe facts
- Yield
- 4 servings as a shared side
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Cook
- 5 minutes
- Total
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- Mild
Allergens Contains fish (fish sauce). Gluten-free if the fish sauce is gluten-free. Dairy-free. Vegan if the fish sauce is replaced.
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb (680 g) water spinach (rau muống)
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced, plus 2 more finely minced
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil with a high smoke point
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce
- 1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) water
- 1/4 tsp (0.5 g) freshly ground black pepper
- Squeeze of lime, to finish (optional)
Equipment
- Wok or wide heavy skillet
- Tongs or wok spatula
- Colander
Method
- Trim and discard the toughest inch of the stems. Cut the remaining stems and leaves into 3 in (8 cm) lengths, keeping stems and leaves in separate piles. Wash and dry both very well.
- Stir the fish sauce, sugar and water together in a small bowl.
- Heat the wok over the highest heat until it is smoking faintly. Add the oil and swirl.
- Add the sliced garlic and stir for 10–15 seconds, just until it turns pale gold — it will burn quickly at this heat.
- Add the stems and stir-fry 60–90 seconds, keeping everything moving.
- Add the leaves and stir-fry 45–60 seconds more, until they have collapsed but are still bright green.
- Pour in the fish sauce mixture around the edge of the wok so it hisses, and toss for 20–30 seconds until the liquid has mostly evaporated and glazes the greens.
- Off the heat, stir through the minced raw garlic and the black pepper. Add a squeeze of lime if you like, and serve at once.
Uses from this chapter
- Nước Chấm (Dipping Sauce) (Recipe #26) — Optional at the table
The Complete Edition
Rau Muống Xào Tỏi (Garlic Water Spinach) sits in the Vietnam chapter
The book carries this recipe in full alongside the rest of the Vietnam chapter, the pastes and dips it is built on, and the twenty-seven pantry studies that open the collection.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.