Pad Pak Bung: Stir-Fried Morning Glory
Thai water spinach with garlic and soy sauce
Last Sunday, we prepared stir-fried water spinach as a side dish to go with our duck curry. Thai Pad Pak Bung (
Ingredients for two servings
- 200g (7 oz) water spinach
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 small Thai chilies
- 2 tbsp
Tao Jiaw (soybean paste) - 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp Thai oyster sauce
- a small piece palm sugar (approx. 3g / 0.1 oz)
- 5 white peppercorns
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Preparation
Since the preparation itself is very quick, everything should be well prepared. To do this, first briefly rinse the water spinach and then cut it into four to five centimeter (1.5-2 inch) long pieces. Then peel the garlic and cut it into thin strips, and finally cut the Thai chilies into small pieces. Keep these three ingredients ready for immediate use.
Next, mix the soybean paste in a small bowl with the soy, fish and oyster sauce. Then crush the white peppercorns in a mortar and add them to the sauces as well. Finally, crush the palm sugar in the mortar and stir it into the sauce mixture until it has completely dissolved.
Now heat the vegetable oil in a wok and fry the garlic and chilies until both release their aroma. Now add the water spinach and stir-fry it constantly. Before the spinach has completely wilted, stir in the mixed sauce and continue frying everything together for a very short time.
Then transfer the finished water spinach to a plate and serve immediately with rice or as a side dish.
