Stir Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd is a vibrant family favorite that comes with snap crunchy greens. It’s flash cooked with a savory creamy sauce and on the table in just 20 minutes, making it the perfect dish for rice.
If love this vegetable, try it with shrimp paste!
A favorite stir fry for all the right reasons
There’s just something so innately magical about stir frying that elevates your plain ol’ veggies from simply average to seriously amazing. Grandma’s Stir Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd is one of those dishes where there is NEVER any leftovers after we’re done with it!
Think of the vegetable as an empty canvas. It offers a great mouthfeel (that inherent veggie crunch) and the ability to absorb ALL the aromas of the wok.
Why wouldn’t you pair it with an ingredient that will make the leaves sing in all its glory?
What is water spinach?
Pronounced ‘ong choy’ in Cantonese, water spinach is a tropical plant with delicate leaves and shoots. They can be found growing in water or in damp soil. When you bite into them, their flavor is fairly mild, making the green a popular choice for stir fries.
Water spinach is firm yet still tender because the shoot is hollow inside. The most amazing part is that it will retain its crunch if cooked using the right temperatures!
Did you say FERMENTED bean curd?
Fermented tofu is made by preserving tofu in different seasonings and liquids such as salt, chili, rice wine and sesame oil. This results in a smooth cheese-like cube that has a similar pungent punch as some cheeses.
There’s a red variety and then there’s the white version. The red variety has a deeper flavor profile and we often use it for Lo Han Jai (Buddha’s Delight 罗汉斋), Vịt Nấu Chao (Vietnamese Duck Hot Pot) and marinating our Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (鹽酥雞).
For this recipe, we used the white version.
If you want to an experience close to home, you can’t skip on this well-loved ingredient!
Why this recipe works
- Using only 6 ingredients keeps the flavor profile simple and easy to eat more of.
- Breaking the greens into segments makes it easier to cook quickly.
- Adding fermented tofu makes it easy to season as it has savory and sweet undertones.
What you’ll need
About the tofu
You can find fermented tofu in Asian supermarkets. They’re often stored in glass jars with the lid sealed using plastic to keep the robust aromas locked inside.
How to make this recipe
Divide the vegetable into smaller sections, roughly 5cm or 2″ long. Rip the tips of the leaves off so that the softest parts remain.
Then wash and dry the greens and use a colander for the drip drying process. You can find a guide on how to wash herbs and leafy vegetables here.
Mash the fermented tofu until it becomes a paste.
Heat a pan or wok up on high and when hot, pour the oil in. Turn the heat down to low and add the garlic and chili in. Stir for 30 seconds.
Turn the heat back up to high and add the water spinach in.
Season the greens with the fermented paste and chicken bouillon powder, then stir for 3 minutes or until well combined and just cooked.
Transfer onto a dish and serve hot with rice!
Recipe FAQs
Certainly! Just keep in mind that every leafy green will have a different cooking time. Alternatives you might consider include sweet potato leaves, romain lettuce, bok choy or jook choy (which we use in our Crispy Pork Belly Stir Fry).
The flavor profile will be different. You can certainly do so, but remember that while both are fermented, the final taste is not the same.
Yes, you can! It will be a little different in flavor, but can still work just as well.
Tips for the best results
- Use young and fresh vegetables. Grandma always opts for the younger variety because it’s not as tough. To test their age, use a nail and pierce through the stem when grocery shopping. If it’s tough, it won’t break through easily.
- Keep the heat high. As with any stir fry, you MUST have the wok at its hottest setting to prevent the greens from boiling at a lower temperature.
- Avoid overcooking. Keep an eye on the greens and take them out as soon as they’re cooked. This will help to retain their crunch.
- Cook in smaller batches. Unless you have a commercial-grade gas cooktop that can produce very high heat, divide the vegetables into 2-3 lots when cooking to maximise their texture.
What to serve it with
- Have the table lined with rice and Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad (拍黄瓜) as a starter.
- Keep the easy dinner theme with Boneless Grilled Chicken Thighs and Tomato Tofu with Minced Pork.
- Spice the meal up with some XO Sauce (XO 酱).
- Lotus Root and Pork Soup (蓮藕汤) is a comforting way to end the savory dishes.
- Finish dinner off with a simple Sweet Potato and Ginger Dessert Soup (番薯糖水)!
Want more home cooked recipes?
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Stir Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd (炒腐乳空心菜)
Ingredients
- 3 bundle water spinach (we get ours from the local Asian supermarket)
- 3 cube white fermented bean curd (plus 2 tsp liquid from the jar; or to taste)
- 2 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 3/4 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 chili (chopped; optional)
Instructions
- Divide the vegetable into smaller sections, roughly 5cm or 2" long. Rip the tips of the leaves off so that the softest parts remain.
- Then wash and dry the greens and use a colander for the drip drying process. You can find a guide on how to wash herbs and leafy vegetables here.
- Mash the fermented tofu until it becomes a paste.
- Heat a pan or wok up on high and when hot, pour the oil in. Turn the heat down to low and add the garlic and chili in. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat back up to high and add the water spinach in.
- Season the greens with the fermented paste and chicken bouillon powder, then stir for 3 minutes or until well combined and just cooked.
- Transfer onto a dish and serve hot with rice!
Notes
- Use young and fresh vegetables. Grandma always opts for the younger variety because it's not as tough. To test their age, use a nail and pierce through the stem when grocery shopping. If it's tough, it won't break through easily.
- Keep the heat high. As with any stir fry, you MUST have the wok at its hottest setting to prevent the greens from boiling at a lower temperature.
- Avoid overcooking. Keep an eye on the greens and take them out as soon as they're cooked. This will help to retain their crunch.
- Cook in smaller batches. Unless you have a commercial-grade gas cooktop that can produce very high heat, divide the vegetables into 2-3 lots when cooking to maximise their texture.
- You can find fermented bean curd in Asian supermarkets. They're often stored in glass jars with the lid sealed using plastic to keep the robust aromas locked inside.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 30/9/19 and updated with expert tips and FAQs in March 2023.
Asian recipes are so inspiring. I love the colors, the flavors. I have never heard of white bean curd before, but I am googling it now.
I love Asian food as well! I hope you also end up buying some to try!
I am a huge fan of anything fermented. This spinach sounds so incredible with the fermented bean curd. I just happen to be heading to the Asian grocery store today and will definitely pick up a jar of this!
Fermented bean curd and kimchi are my weaknesses! Hopefully you found some!
This is such a beautiful dish! I’ve definitely never had anything quite like this and am hoping I can find the ingredients soon – thanks for sharing such a unique recipe!
Thanks, Lauren! You should be able to easily find them at the Asian supermarket!
Jeanette, I’ve been wanting to get into more Asian and Vietnamese cooking and this looks like a great jumping off point. I’ve never heard of fermented bean curd, which in and of itself “sounds scary” but your description made me think, “hmmm, I’d eat that!” Our farmer’s market is opening this weekend and I’ll be on the lookout for this special spinach. Would the sauce work with other vegetables too, do you think?
I’m so glad you’re willing to give the fermented bean curd a try! I imagine it would sound scary but it’s definitely worth a taste! The sauce will certainly work with other vegetables, especially the leafy greens 🙂
This sounds perfectly flavorful! I can see why it’s such a popular dish.
Thanks, Demeter!
I’ve never had water spinach or fermented white bean curd but I love trying new foods. This looks like the perfect side dish full of flavor and vegetables.
I hope you do try it one day! It’s a winner!
How much fermented curd does it require? Thank you!!
Hi, MJ! You’re looking at about 3 cubes, or to taste 😀
Enjoyed it immensely even though I didn’t add chilli. I added about 2.5 cubes
That’s wonderful to hear, Chad!
Can you give an approximately weight for your water spinach? I just bought one bunch that weighed 2.5 lbs. Three bunches would be 7.5 pounds. Is that correct???
Hi, Jazz! That sounds about right from here. Our bunches are quite large like that too!