Water Spinach Stir Fry with Chinchalok

Water Spinach (Ong Choy in Cantonese) is a very common vegetable in Southeast Asia. It grows wildly in waterways. I remembered when I was young, I used to collect water spinach near small streams.

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Water Spinach is called Kung Xin Chai in Mandarin because it has a hollow stem. Literally, it is translated to vegetable without heart.

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Kangkung Belacan is a very popular dish in Malaysia but I made a simpler Water Spinach with Chinchalok which is a shrimp sauce with chili, onions and lime. You can get Chinchalok from Chinese groceries store like T&T.

Ingredients

  • a big bunch of water spinach (you will end up with not much after removing the stems and it shrinks down a lot after cooking)
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • a handful of dried shrimps
  • 2 tablespoons of store bought Chinchalok
  • soy sauce and sugar to taste

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Click on the link below for the instructions.

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Stir Fry Cabbage with Pork

Nanzaro is very fussy over vegetables. He only likes to eat tender leafy vegetables like spinach, baby bak choy and water spinach. When I serve bak choy or Shanghai Bak Choy, he will only eat the leaf part and leave the stems behind. When it comes to cabbage, there is no stem for him to fish out although some part is more hardy like stem.

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This is another versatile dish where you can substitute the cabbage with any leafy greens. I like to have a cabbage handy in my fridge because it lasts quite a long time unlike some Chinese greens that wilt very quickly.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 of a cabbage (depend on the size of the cabbage)
  • 4 oz of lean pork, sliced
  • 1 Thai chili, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • seasonings like soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, corn starch

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Click on the link below for the instructions.

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Stir-fried Pork with Bamboo Shoots and Dried Oysters

Winnie’s second dish is a very versatile dish which is a very Chinese homey dish. Winnie’s Stir-fried Pork with Bamboo Shoots can be substituted with many other ingredients like sweet peppers, wood-ears, green onions, ‘Shiitake mushrooms, etc. This is another dish which goes well with steam rice.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup or more boiled bamboo shoots
  • 1/2 lb pork, cut into thin slices
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 tablespoons soysauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 shallots, thinly slice
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 6 pieces of dried oyster, soaked and boiled to soften
  • 1/4 cup water

Click on the link below for the instructions.

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