Stir Fried Ong Choy

Stir Fried Ong Choy

Stir Fried Ong Choy

Ong Choy, or water spinach, is a popular vegetable eaten all over Asia. They have long leaves and hollow stems that give the green a nice crunch. This stir fry is quite simple and can be found on any authentic Chinese or Vietnamese menu. You can purchase ong choy at just about any Asian market for a couple dollars for a huge bunch.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese, Vietnamese
Keyword: Chinese, East Asian, side dish, Southeast Asian, vegetables, Vietnamese
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 5 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tsp ginger minced
  • 2 tbsp Sichuan chili oil
  • 1 bunch ong choy washed and chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp sugar

Instructions

  • Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Sauté the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
    Vietnamese, side dish, vegetables
  • Add in the chili oil. Cook for another 30 seconds.
    Vietnamese, side dish, vegetables
  • Add in the ong choy.
    Vietnamese, side dish, vegetables
  • Stir fry for 4 minutes.
    Vietnamese, side dish, vegetables
  • Season with salt and sugar.
    Vietnamese, side dish, vegetables
Vietnamese, side dish, vegetables

How to make Chili Oil in an Instant Pot

Ever eat at a Chinese restaurant and they have that chili oil at the table? Then you end up putting it on everything because it’s so damn good. Well now it’s time to learn how to make it for a fraction of the price of the store bought brands. 
Making this couldn’t be easier using the Instant Pot. The most important thing in making this chili oil is to not burn the ingredients. You want to keep the oil between 225 and 250 degrees. The Instant Pot has a custom temperature setting which makes making this street free. You can still make this on a stove top if you don’t have an Instant Pot. Just make sure to use a cane thermometer to make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot. If the ingredients burn, you will have to start over.
Most cultures have some sort of chili oil in their cuisine, all made very similarly. This recipe is for a Chinese style chili oil, so I used ingredients in Chinese cooking. If you were to make a chili oil for Italian cuisine, you would you’d Italian crushed chili flakes and maybe some garlic and dried herbs in the oil. So experiment with making different oils. The chili flake is always the main ingredient, followed by aromatics steeping in the oil.
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: condiment
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Chinese, condiment, instant pot
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 large cinnamon stick
  • 5 star anise
  • 3 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup crushed Szechuan chili flakes

Instructions

  • Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Choose custom temp. Set to 230 degrees, Add your oil, cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Cook for 30 minutes, giving an occasional stir. Let cool for 5 minutes.
    Chinese, condiment
  • Put the crushed chili flakes in a mason jar. Take a small piece of cheese cloth and put it over the jar, with a rubber band around it to hold in place.
    Chinese, condiment
  • Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Pour the oil into the mason jar. The cheese cloth will catch all of the peppercorns and star anise..
    Chinese, condiment
  • Screw on the cover and let cool to room temp. Refrigerate up to 6 months.
    Chinese, condiment