From 'Nam from Mom
The summer after I graduated from college I spent a month at home, cooking with my mother. She had decided that I needed to learn all the “basic” Vietnamese dishes and I had decided I needed to record all the family recipes that my mother had been keeping in her head. I ended up with a treasure trove of recipes that I still use today.
This recipe for stir-fried water spinach with beef is from my mother. She grew water spinach in her garden when I was growing up. I remember eating a lot of it then, but I haven’t had any since leaving home. Asking for this recipe not only gave me a recipe to use for this column but it meant having one more addition to my collection of family recipes, a collection I value more each year. (Find water spinach (also water morning glory or kangkong) in Asian supermarkets or at the Farmers Market.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound water spinach
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 ounces beef (flank steak or tenderloin), cut against the grain into 1/8-inch thick slices
- 5 teaspoons pure sesame oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1/2 cup oyster sauce
- Steamed rice (for serving)
Preparation
Prep the water spinach by trimming off tough ends and discarding. Separate leaves from stems. Cut the stems into 3 to 4 inch pieces. Rinse the leaves and stems (keeping them separate) and drain well. Set aside.
Mix together cinnamon, granulated garlic, celery salt and ground pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over beef and stir until beef is evenly coated with spices. Add 3 teaspoons sesame oil and mix until beef is evenly coated with oil. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large wok over medium-high heat until oil begins to shimmer. Add garlic and stir until garlic is fragrant and starts to brown. Remove garlic clove from pan and discard.
Rotate and tilt the pan so that oil evenly coats the bottom and sides of the wok.
Add beef to the pan and cook, tossing to sear on all sides, until mostly browned. Add the water spinach stems and continue cooking until stems begin to soften, 2-3 minutes. Add oyster sauce and remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Toss to evenly coat the spinach stems and beef. Add in spinach leaves and toss until leaves begin to wilt. Remove from heat and continue tossing until leaves are warmed through. Serve with hot rice.
