Dish of Water Spinach Stir Fry
(click to enlarge)

Water Spinach Stir Fry


Thailand   -   Pak Bung
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 side
**
22 min
Part		 This simple stir fry has good flavor and interesting texture - but is NOT as Thai street vendors cook it (see Comments). See also Chinese version and main dish Beef & Water Spinach.

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2
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3
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1/2
1/2
1/2
3
1/4
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2
tt
#
cl
oz

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T
T
T
T
t
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T

Pak Bung (1)
Garlic
Shallots
Thai Chilis (2)
-- Sauce
Yellow Bean Sauce (3)  
Oyster Sauce (4)
Fish Sauce (5)
Stock
Sugar (opt)
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Oil
Black Pepper
Prep   -   (15 min)
  1. Strip Leaves from PAK BUNG leaving leaf stems behind. Tear into 3 inch lengths if too long. Discard overly thick stem ends (more than 1/4 inch diameter) and cut all stems including leaf stems into about 1-1/2 inch lengths - keep separate from leaves.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Cut SHALLOTS in half lengthwise and slice very thin crosswise. Slice CHILIS very thin. Mix all.
  3. Mix all Sauce Items.
RUN   -   (7 min)
  1. Heat OIL in a wok and stir in Garlic Mix. Fry stirring just until garlic starts to color, then stir in Pak Bung Stems. Fry over high heat until partially wilted (about 2 minutes), then stir in the Pak Bung Leaves. Continue frying for another minute or so until leaves are mostly wilted. Larger stems should remain a bit crunchy.
  2. Stir in Sauce Mix, and bring quickly to a boil. Season to taste with Black Pepper and serve hot with rice.
NOTES:

  1. Pak Bung:

      [Ong Choy, Water Spinach, Swamp Cabbage]   Sold here as Ong Choy, this vegetable is very popular with all Southeast Asian cultures, but is a controlled substance in some states. In California it can be produced by licensed growers and transported without a permit. For details see our Water Spinach page.

  2. Chilis:

      Control hotness to your taste. Three Thai chilis makes it moderately spicy by Southern California standards. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  3. Yellow Bean Sauce

      This is a very popular sauce in Thailand, and is sometimes used as a vegetarian replacement for fish sauce. You want the ugly brown kind. For details see our Yellow Bean Sauce page.

  4. Oyster Sauce:

      A standard Chinese sauce also used in Southeast Asia for dishes in the Chinese style. My current favorite is Megachef, but Lee Kum Kee Premium brand is also very good - the bottle looks very Chinese, but it's made in Los Angeles. Yes, these are more expensive than some, but there's reasons for that (much higher oyster content, unleaded and no melamine). For details see our Oyster Sauce page.

  5. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  6. Comments

      Thai street vendors cook this in large woks kept at extremely high temperature. The pan contents explode into flames several times and the contents are tossed into the air to extinguish them. This is not recommended for home kitchens.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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