Stir-fried Spinach and Mushroom


This classic combination can be served as a side dish or a filling for an omelette.  Stir-frying reduces the volume dramatically which help eating more veggie easier.  You may wonder why it does not have fish sauce or soy sauce.  Is it really a Vietnamese dish?  Yes, indeed it is.  Sometime we just season a stir fried dish with salt because some Vietnamese cooks stated the fish sauce may give a sour taste or when it is served as vegetarian dish which can be seasoned with either salt or soy sauce.

Make 4 servings as a side dish in a multiple-course meal
1-2 Tbsp (15ml-30 ml) vegetable oil
1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
4-8 oz  (113-226 gram) mushroom, shiitake is used here, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 lb (453 gram) baby spinach or 2 bunches of reg. spinach, washed and rinsed but not dry
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
A large saute pan or pot

Heating 1 Tbsp oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  Stir in garlic for a few seconds.  When garlic start having some light tan color and fragrant, reduce the heat to medium, stir in mushroom and sprinkle a little salt and pepper.  Keep stirring frequently, mushroom will start sweating and become tender.  If the pan too hot and mushroom browning too fast, add a few tablespoon water or 1 tablespoon oil and continue stirring. Add spinach, stir until wilt, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and serve.

*Variety:
A small amount of shrimp or meat (pork, beef or chicken) can be added and stir-fried before mushroom.
The dish can be seasoned to taste with a few tsp fish sauce/soy sauce and a pinch of sugar.


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