Master the art of cooking crispy, vibrant spinach with tender beef - Mytour

Beef and spinach, a dynamic duo in delicious cuisine. Let Mytour guide you in enhancing the appeal of beef stir-fried with spinach!

1. Is stir-fried beef with spinach nutritious?

Curious about the health benefits of stir-fried beef with spinach? Join Mytour in exploring this culinary wonder.

Sauteed water spinach with beef is a familiar dish in every household's meal. Not only because the ingredients are easy to buy and find, but also the cooking method is extremely simple and quick. This dish has a palatable taste and is very appetizing. The tender sweetness of beef combined with the crispiness of water spinach. Besides eating with rice, it is also extremely enticing when eaten with stir-fried noodles.

Photo: Vân Vy

Moreover, this dish is also rich in nutrients good for health. Beef provides protein, various vitamins, phosphorus, selenium, etc. Water spinach is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Because it is delicious and nutritious, it has become one of the familiar dishes made from stir-fried beef in the meal menu of many families.

2. How to make crispy stir-fried beef with fresh water spinach

Stir-fried beef with water spinach is an incredibly easy dish to make. However, to ensure that the water spinach retains its vibrant color and crispiness after cooking, let's follow these steps:

Prepare the ingredients

• Beef: 300g (It's best to choose beef sirloin for a tastier dish)
• Water spinach: 500g
• Garlic: 2 cloves
• Seasonings: cooking oil, salt, pepper, seasoning powder, etc.

How to Prepare Stir-fried Water Spinach with Beef

Step 1: Ingredient Preparation

• After purchasing beef, rinse it briefly with diluted salt water, then wash thoroughly with clean water. Drain and thinly slice into bite-sized pieces.
• Remove any old or wilted leaves and tough stems from the water spinach. Cut into bite-sized pieces (about 5 – 6cm), then wash and drain. It's better to remove some leaves for easier stir-frying and even cooking. Alternatively, if you don't enjoy the leaves, you can discard them all.
• Note: It's recommended to buy water spinach with small, firm stems. Avoid purchasing excessively bright green and crispy stems, as they may have been treated with chemical fertilizers, which is not beneficial for health.
• Peel and clean the garlic, then crush or finely chop.

Photo: Collection

Step 2: Blanching the Water Spinach

Bring a pot of water to boil, approximately 1 – 1.2 liters. Add about ½ teaspoon of salt, then wait for the water to boil before adding the spinach. Blanch over high heat with an appropriate amount of water.

Stir the spinach until the water returns to a boil, then turn off the heat. Remove the spinach and place it in a bowl of cold water, preferably with ice. This method will help retain the crispness and green color of the spinach. Soak the spinach for about 5 minutes, then remove and drain.

Step 3: Stir-frying Beef with Water Spinach

You can apply one of the following methods to stir-fry beef with water spinach:

* Method 1:

• Heat a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add crushed garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add the beef and stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the spinach and stir-fry together.
• Season with spices to taste and continue stirring. Occasionally, separate the spinach and beef to prevent clumping and ensure even cooking.
• Stir-fry for about 5 – 7 minutes until the beef is cooked through, then turn off the heat.

Photo: Collection

* Method 2:

• Heat a pan on the stove, add a little oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then add crushed garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add the spinach and stir-fry evenly, season lightly with spices. Stir-fry for about 2 – 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and transfer the spinach to a plate.
• Using the same pan, add cooking oil and crushed garlic, sauté until fragrant. Then add the beef and stir-fry. Season the beef with spices (lightly because the spinach was lightly seasoned earlier).
• Stir-fry the beef until just cooked through, then add the previously stir-fried spinach. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, season with spices again, then turn off the heat.

Photo: Thanh Vy

* Method 3:

• Sauté garlic and stir-fry the beef as in method 2. However, in this method, you only stir-fry the beef and keep the spinach as is.
• Season with spices and stir well to marinate the beef. For this method, you need to season more heavily. Because when you add the spinach, the flavor will balance out.
• Stir-fry the beef until just cooked through, then turn off the heat. Then add the blanched water spinach and mix well. Adding a little fried shallots on top will enhance the flavor.
• Note: If you choose this method, make sure to blanch the spinach thoroughly.

Photo: @chi.ntk22 

These three methods of stir-frying beef with water spinach will suit different tastes. For those who enjoy richer flavors, methods 1 and 2 are suitable. If you prefer lighter flavors, you can choose method 3. Among the three methods, method 3 will help the spinach retain its crispness and vibrant green color the best.

3. Finished Dish of Stir-fried Water Spinach with Beef

After stir-frying, the beef and water spinach will be plated, sprinkled with a bit of ground pepper on top. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh herbs and thinly sliced chili for a more visually appealing presentation. The finished dish will have a balanced taste. The beef will be tender and sweet, not tough. The water spinach will retain its green color and offer a certain crispiness when eaten. This is one of the delicious beef dishes that many families choose for their daily meals.

Photo: @vietnamesegod

4. Common Mistakes in Stir-frying Beef with Water Spinach

• Using too much water when blanching the vegetables and boiling them on low heat. This is the mistake that makes the vegetables easily lose their vibrant color.
• After blanching the vegetables, failing to remove them and soak them in cold water or ice water. This is an important step to keep the vegetables crisp and green, so please pay attention to it.
• Stir-frying the beef and water spinach for too long. This will make the beef tough and the water spinach lose its color and crispiness.
• Keeping too many vegetable leaves. When stir-frying, the vegetables will not cook evenly, with some leaves becoming mushy while others remain uncooked.
• Buying beef that is bright red, with fresh yellow fat and white, elastic tendons. It's best to choose sirloin or tenderloin, as they will result in tender and not tough when stir-fried.

Just grasp the above secrets, Mytour Blog believes that you will achieve the delicious stir-fried beef with water spinach as desired. Remember to practice right away to treat your family with a delicious meal. Wish you success!