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Garlic water spinach stir-fry is a beloved dish across Vietnam, from rural villages to bustling cities. It's a delicious vegetarian option made with affordable, readily available ingredients, easy to prepare, and packed with nutrients. So, have you perfected the art of making this stir-fry yet? Let Mytour Blog reveal the tricks to elevate your water spinach stir-fry to new heights.
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The nutritional value of water spinach and important consumption notes
Water spinach is a tender, herbaceous plant that grows upright on soil or sprawls over mud and water surfaces. Its long, hollow stems offer a mildly sweet, crisp, juicy taste. This plant boasts a plethora of nutrients such as: vitamin A, B, C, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, magnesium, sodium... and notably, a rich iron content.
With nutritional benefits like these, consuming water spinach judiciously can yield numerous health advantages such as:
- Anemia Treatment Support: The high iron content in water spinach is beneficial for individuals needing iron supplementation such as pregnant women, and those with anemia...
- Cardiovascular Health Protection: This vegetable also contains plenty of vitamin A, C, and beta-carotene, antioxidant compounds that help reduce cholesterol in the blood, thus lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- Improvement in Liver Issues: Extracts from water spinach can treat jaundice and provide support for protecting the liver from chemical damage.
- Cancer Prevention: With up to 13 antioxidant compounds, water spinach aids the body in preventing skin, colorectal, stomach, and breast cancers.
- Eye Health Benefits: Carotenoids, vitamin A, and lutein found in water spinach are essential for maintaining healthy, bright eyes.
However, when consuming this vegetable, it's important to note the following:
- Those with open wounds on the skin should avoid consumption as it may cause raised scars.
- The Fasciolopsis buski parasite can be found in water spinach. Therefore, consuming raw or inadequately cooked spinach poses risks of abdominal pain, diarrhea, allergies...
- In addition, individuals with high blood pressure, gout, arthritis, joint pain, and urinary tract infections caused by kidney stones are advised to limit water spinach intake.
- Water spinach should only be consumed in moderate amounts, not exceeding 300g/day.
The water spinach plant contains abundant nutritional value (Source: Internet)How to Cook Garlic Water Spinach
While preparing garlic water spinach stir-fry may seem simple, achieving a plate of stir-fried water spinach that isn't mushy or darkened is no easy feat. Follow the steps below to ensure you have a perfectly seasoned dish of water spinach stir-fry, just like from a restaurant.
Ingredient Preparation
To prepare the ingredients for garlic water spinach stir-fry, you will need: 1 bunch of water spinach, 4 cloves of garlic, cooking oil, fish sauce, salt, seasoning powder, sugar, lime, chili.
Once you have all the ingredients ready, proceed with the preparation:
- Cut the water spinach into segments of 7-10 cm, removing any damaged or overripe parts. Rinse with diluted salt water, then rinse thoroughly with clean water and drain.
- Peel and finely chop the garlic.
- Wash and thinly slice the chili peppers.
Ingredient preparation for garlic water spinach dish (Source: Internet)Blanching the water spinach
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and blanch the water spinach for about 1 minute.
- Prepare a bowl of ice water. When removing the water spinach from the boiling water, immediately transfer it to the ice water bowl. This step helps the spinach retain its crispiness and vibrant green color despite being blanched.
Pre-blanching water spinach before stir-frying (Source: Internet)Stir-frying the greens
Stir-frying water spinach with garlic and chili peppers (Source: Internet)Finished Product
Arrange the cooked water spinach on a plate, sprinkle with a little black pepper. Additionally, you can decorate with carved chili peppers in the center to enhance its visual appeal. The crispy water spinach, flavorful taste, and aromatic garlic will make you reluctant to put down your chopsticks.
Plate of fragrant and delicious garlic stir-fried water spinach, visually appealing (Source: Internet)Tips for stir-frying water spinach to keep it crispy, tasty, and prevent it from turning dark
Keep these handy tips in mind for your garlic water spinach stir-fry to stay crispy, avoid darkening, and retain its rich flavor:
- Select fresh bunches of water spinach, avoiding wilted or yellowed ones. Additionally, thicker, darker green stems with abundant leaves tend to have a bitter taste when stir-fried, so it's best to avoid them.
- To ensure crispiness and vibrant green color, soak the blanched water spinach in ice water.
- While some may prefer less cooking oil, adding a bit more will give the water spinach a glossy appearance and enhance its visual appeal.
- After stir-frying the greens, don't forget to squeeze lime juice over them. This enhances the flavor and aroma of the garlic water spinach.
- If you have a large quantity of water spinach, consider stir-frying it in batches to ensure even cooking and flavor absorption.
- Some restaurants use garlic-infused oil for their garlic water spinach stir-fry to attract customers. You can also make garlic oil at home for various stir-fried dishes. It's quite simple: just use 3-4 cloves of garlic, clean and crush them, then place them in a clean, dry glass jar. Pour enough cooking oil to cover the garlic, seal the jar, and store it in a cool place for later use.
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Soak the blanched water spinach in an ice bath to help it retain its crispiness and vibrant green color (Source: Internet)Frequently Asked Questions
In the previous step, Mytour provides instructions for blanching water spinach, but you can skip this step if you prefer. However, if you blanch it beforehand, you won't need to stir it as much during cooking to prevent it from becoming mushy and darkened. Additionally, pre-blanching the water spinach helps maintain its crispiness and vibrant green color, making the dish even more delicious and visually appealing.
With these tips, you now have the secret to making your garlic water spinach stir-fry more delicious and visually appealing. Whether your kitchen needs new cooking utensils or any spices, visit Mytour now. Shop with ease at Mytour and enjoy many attractive deals.
