Stir-Fried Morning Glory.
No, not the morning glory that you see in Western gardens or backyards…
But rather, Water Spinach! This plant flourishes naturally in waterways throughout Southeast Asia and requires little, if any, care.
When I was touring through Thailand and Vietnam, I was hooked on this simple but healthy veggie side. It tasted absolutely delicious when stir-fired – and I couldn’t get enough of the sauce!
Better yet, it only costed less than a few dollars.
There are multiples variation of this stir-fried morning glory dish.
In Indonesia – for example – it’s called kangkong. And in Thailand, it’s known as Pad Pak Boong.
Today, we’ll work with the Thai version.
Now, you won’t find this dish at many Thai restaurants in the West. (Not sure why?) Perhaps, its hard to source Morning Glory in the West.
But you will find it at Asian supermarkets. Grab a handful and try introducing a new veggie to your diet.
It’s so easy to make at home – let me show you how!
COOKING NOTES:
A key ingredient in this stir-fry is soybean paste.
In Thailand, they use this specific brand. But you can use Korean Doenjang – works just as great! Or even Japanese Miso.
Before we start, make sure to cook this on a very hot wok or frying pan. You want the heat at a medium-high or high-heat.
When stir-frying the stems, don’t forget to add in Soy Sauce (1/2 Tablespoon). Without it, the dish will slightly bland.
When adding in the soy sauce, add it in a circular motion around the wok. The soy sauce will cook as it runs down the side of the scorching wok.
I recommend cooking the stems first: Stir-fry the stems for about 30 seconds before adding in the leafy portion. Once you add the leaves, you’ll only need about 10-15 additional seconds of stir-frying.
Then the dish is done!
(Note: I also like to add in a splash of water when stir-frying. This helps to create a small layer of sauce).
I really hope that you guys get a chance to make this dish! Once you try, you’ll be craving it very frequently!
-Daniel out 🕺
Ingredients
- 1 Large Handful Morning Glory
- 2-3 Fresh Thai Chili Peppers (Or 2 small dried chili peppers)
- 6 Cloves Garlic
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Korean Soybean Paste (Doenjang) (Miso Paste ok too!)
- 1 Tablespoon Mirim (Rice Wine)
- 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- 1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
Additional Ingredients (For Stir-frying)
- 3-4 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
- 1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- A dash of Water
Instructions
Prep Ingredients
- Thoroughly wash Morning Glory. Set it a strainer and let it drip off excess water. Then cut stems into pinky-finger length. Then cut leafy portion into pointer-finger length (reference video).
- Cut the ends off the garlic cloves. Then take out a mortar and pestle. Gently pound the garlic cloves (6) and chili peppers (2-3) together. Then set aside.
- Make Stir-fry Sauce by mixing: Soybean Paste (1 Tablespoon), Mirim (1 Tablespoon), Oyster Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Soy Sauce (1/2 Tablespoon) and Sugar (1/2 Tablespoon). Mix it ahoroughly.
Cook Ingredients
- Place cooking oil (3-4 Tablespoons) into a wok or frying pan. Plan on medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add in garlic and chili peppers first.
- Stir-fry until it gets aromatic. Then add in the morning glory stems. Followed by 1/2 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce. Stir-fry the stems in the soy sauce for 30 seconds.
- After 30 seconds, add the leaves in. Then add-in all of the stir-fry sauce.
- Stir-fry for 15-20 seconds more. Turn off heat and plate.
- Serve immediately with a bowl of hot rice! Bon Appetit 🙂
You two are so cute. I love your videos.
xo
Michele
Oakland, CA