STIR FRIED SPINACH [PUI LING - 菠菜]

I used to fry this leafy green, spinach aka Pui Ling [菠菜], sometimes with dried prawns, anchovies, chopped garlic and fermented beancurd [foo yee].

This time, I followed a recipe from Irene Yong's Youtube] which is easy and simple. Just with 2 ingredients, yet the result is awesome.

Irene has advised to not to discard the root stems but to retain about 1 cm near the root is most nutritious part. It should be preserved and fried together with the stems and leaves. You can get to taste the sweetness of spinach.

I followed her tips and it is true, the vegetable is sweet, soft and smooth without the bitter taste. Boiling the greens before frying reduce the 'oxalic acid'. According to Irene, oxalic acid hinders the body's absorption of calcium and iron.

Ingredients

300 gm spinach - cut into appropriate lengths

2-3 pips garlic - chopped

1 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning

salt, mushroom stock granules and pepper to taste

1. Rinse vegetable under running tap water then soak in a basin of clean water for 10 minutes. Rinse well. Cut off the roots but leave at least 1 cm of the section before the stems. Cut in sections preferred.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil, add in a little oil and a pinch of salt. Blanch cut vegetables in hot water for a while. Remove and drain on a colander.
3. Heat a non stick wok with some oil, add a pinch of salt, saute garlic until aromatic. Add in blanched spinach, stir over high heat and add in seasoning.
4. Dish up to serve. Enjoy.!!!