Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry

Name: Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 lbs water spinach (rau muong or morning glory), cut into 3-in lengths; 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce; 3 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or canola); 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

A quick and flavorful Vietnamese rau muong xao toi featuring water spinach tossed in a screaming-hot wok with plenty of garlic and fermented tofu for depth. Ready in under 10 minutes.

23 minEasyServes 4110 cal/serving

VietnameseSideStovetopVeganVegetarianLow CarbKosher-styleDairy-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeNightshade-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 lbs water spinach (rau muong or morning glory), cut into 3-in lengths
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar

Instructions

1

Wash and dry 2 lbs cut into 3-in lengths water spinach (rau muong or morning glory) thoroughly, keeping stems and leaves separate. Mash 2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce in a small bowl with a splash of water to form a loose paste.
2

Heat a wok over the highest heat setting until it just begins to smoke. Add 3 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or canola) and immediately add 8 thinly sliced garlic cloves. Stir-fry for 20-30 seconds until golden and fragrant.
3

Add the water spinach (rau muong or morning glory) stems first, tossing vigorously for 30 seconds. Then add the leaves and 2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce paste.
4

Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp granulated sugar. Stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing continuously, until the spinach is just wilted but still bright green and the stems retain a slight crunch.
5

Transfer immediately to a serving plate and serve hot with steamed rice.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Vietnamese Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

What should Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry look like when it is ready?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 2: cook until golden and fragrant. Step 4: cook until the spinach is just wilted but still bright green and the stems retain a slight crunch.

Can I use a different firmness of tofu instead of tofu in Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry?

Go firmer, not softer. Extra-firm stands in for firm anywhere; anything softer breaks up when it is fried or stirred. Press it for 15 minutes either way. As written, the entry for Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry uses 2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce.

Can I make Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry is 2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce. Swap the soy-based sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Everything else proceeds as written.

Does Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry contain soy?

Yes: 2 cubes white fermented tofu (chua chao) or 1 tbsp soy sauce. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten and soy. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How many calories are in Garlic Water Spinach Stir-Fry?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) is about 110 calories, with 6 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate and 6 g fat, plus 2 g fiber and 280 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.