This classic Vietnamese stir fried morning glory with garlic makes a nutritious and delicious vegetable forward side dish.
We spent a month in Vietnam and are still catching up on life after coming back hence the silence. It feels nice to be back home, cooking and baking, after being away for so long. After returning home, we were craving for simple home cooked meals. One of the first meals I cooked was stir fried morning glory with garlic. The stir fried morning glory was one of the best dishes we had throughout Vietnam. Despite its simplicity, the morning glory was tender and had a wonderful bite along with crunchy, fried pieces of garlic and the perfect seasoning. I often ate a whole plate by myself. This dish reflects the humble meals that my mom often cooked while I was growing up but shined because of how fresh the ingredients were.
What is Morning Glory
Morning glory, also known as water spinach, is a humble yet celebrated vegetable called rau muống in Vietnamese. You might see them as ong choy at the Asian supermarkets. They have thick, hollow stems which bring a wonderful crunch and juiciness to salads and stir fry.
How to Prep Vegetables
- Trim the hardy ends and discard wilted leaves
- Cut them into 2-3 inch pieces
- Soak both leaves and stems in plenty of water for an hour. Drain and soak them one more time for 10 minutes to remove all the dirt. Drain and set aside.
How to Cook Morning Glory
- Blanch the morning glory for 2 minutes and remove from heat. This step is optional but it allows the morning glory to cook evenly especially in larger quantity.
- Bring a large frying pan with oil over medium-high heat.
- Saute garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to high and add morning glory and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the sauce mixture and toss. Cook for another 2 minutes until they collapse but still retain their shape and vibrant color.
What to Serve it With
This stir fried morning glory dish makes a great side as part of a larger meal. In Vietnamese culture, we typically have a salty protein, one to two vegetable plates, and a soup to accompany rice.
Storage
Store any leftovers in a lidded container. Refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Rewarm in the microwave when ready to serve.
Fried Garlic
All of the stir fried morning glory dishes that I had in Vietnam were topped with fried garlic. I used 2 tablespoons of fried garlic from Van Van Etcetera. They kindly gifted me with their single origin starter pack of minced and sliced Northern Mountain Garlic, Delta Lemongrass, Heaven Facing Chili, Sparrow Ginger, and Coastal Purple Shallot. All the ingredients are grown and harvested by farmers and producers in Vietnamese regions known for these herbs and aromatics. We were impressed with the quality and how fragrant they were. Their official launch is 8/15 and you can order them from their website. I have also included instruction for how to fry your own garlic below.
Vietnamese Stir Fried Morning Glory with Garlic
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds morning glory (after hard stems and wilted leaves removed; buy about 1.5 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoons fried garlic for serving
- freshly ground pepper for serving
Fried Garlic
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed and roughly chopped
Instructions
- To prepare the morning glory, trim the hardy ends and discard wilted leaves. Cut them into 2-3 inch pieces. Soak both leaves and stems in water for an hour. Drain and soak them one more time for 10 minutes to remove all the dirt. Drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, sugar, and water. Set stir-fry sauce aside.
- Boil the morning glory for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
- Bring a large frying pan with oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to high and add morning glory and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the oyster sauce mixture and toss. Cook for another 2 minutes until they collapse but still retain their shape and vibrant color.
- Transfer morning glory to plate, top with fried garlic, garnish with freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately.
Fried Garlic
- In a small sauce pan, heat oil on medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape garlic and oil into a fine-mesh strainer set over a heatproof bowl. Reserve garlic oil for other uses.
Laycee
Its chinese water spinach. Morning glory is a flower plant and can not be eaten in large quantities because it can cause vomiting.