Spinach stir fry is one of those humble dishes that never goes out of style. Quick, easy, and incredibly good for you, it’s a staple in many Chinese households. It’s one of the most frequently made dishes by my mom and it’s always in our dinner rotation. She would cook such a large plate of it, but we devour the whole thing within a few minutes.
Ingredients
My spinach stir fry recipe requires just five simple ingredients:
- Spinach
- Garlic
- Chicken bouillon powder (or mushroom powder for vegetarian adaption)
- Salt
- Chinkiang vinegar (or distilled vinegar for gluten-free adaptation)
Chicken bouillon is a frequently used ingredient in Chinese home cooked meals, to enhance the flavor of a basic dish. The purpose is pretty similar to MSG, but my mom prefers chicken bouillon for its extra richness.
The splash of Chinkiang vinegar works very well with the rich spinach greens, to counterbalance the light bitterness of the leaves and brighten up the dish.
The best type of spinach for stir fry
In Chinese cooking, we always prefer to cook with larger heads of spinach that are longer and thicker than young spinach, with thick large leaves. Because once it’s cooked, spinach shrinks a lot. Younger spinach doesn’t stand stir fry and will wilt too much and have a slightly mushy mouthfeel.
When you purchase spinach from a Chinese market, the spinach bunches usually come with the root part still attached. This way, the spinach will last a while longer in the refrigerator before it’s cooked.
Blanching spinach – the secret weapon
Blanching spinach before stir frying creates a much better mouthfeel, taste and texture. This is a step my mom never skips.
A quick blanching brightens the color of the greens, tames the bitterness, gets rid of excess water, and maintains the crunch. And spinach has a high level of oxalates, which bind to calcium as they leave your body and can increase the risk of kidney stones in some people. Blanching the spinach helps reduce the levels of oxalic acid that it contains, which is good for your body.
Once the spinach is blanched, drain the water and gently squeeze the water out, but not to a degree that the spinach crumbles into a little ball (squeezing all the water out is a step often used in Chinese spinach salad, but not for stir fries). You want the spinach to still have enough structure and be able to be spread out during stir frying.
How to cook spinach stir fry
Heat up your wok or high-sided saute pan really hot, and quickly cook the garlic to release fragrance.
Then spread out the blanched spinach and sprinkle salt and chicken bouillon over it as evenly as possible. Quickly stir fry the spinach until tender, then finish up with a splash of vinegar.
You will find that spinach cooked this way has very little liquid pooling at the bottom of the dish. And the mouthfeel of the spinach is tender yet not mushy, with a nice flavor brought out by the garlic and vinegar.
Now you can serve this dish alongside your main dish to create a nutritionally balanced meal.
Other quick and easy side dishes
- Asparagus Stir Fry
- Easy Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
- Garlic Fried Rice
- 4-Ingredient Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
Chinese Cooking Made Easy
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Spinach Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb spinach
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 3 cloves garlic , smashed and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (*Footnote 1)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar (*Footnote 2)
Instructions
- (Optional) Skip this if using baby spinach. If using larger heads of spinach with thick and long stems, rinse the dirt off the spinach with running tap water. Use a pair of scissors to snip off and discard the root part. Cut the spinach into 3” (8-cm) long pieces. Place in a big bowl and add cold water to cover. Soak for 5 minutes. Once done, drain the spinach thoroughly. Heat a big pot of water until boiling. Add the spinach. Blench for 20 seconds. Immediately transfer to a colander to drain off as much water as you can. Then very gently squeeze the spinach to remove some water.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic. Stir and cook to release fragrance, 20 seconds or so.
- Add the spinach and spread it out in the pan, then sprinkle the chicken bouillon powder and salt evenly over it. Stir and cook rapidly until the spinach has turned tender. Pour in the Chinkiang vinegar and stir to mix again. Turn off the heat. Transfer everything to a large plate. Serve hot as a side dish.
Notes
- To make the dish vegan / vegetarian: Use mushroom powder to replace chicken bouillon.
- To make the dish gluten-free: Use distilled vinegar to replace Chinkiang vinegar.
Nutrition
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