Ong Choy is a popular Chinese leafy green vegetable that’s worth pairing with luxurious XO sauce. Chinese water spinach or Ong Choy, as it’s called in the Cantonese dialect, is a favorite vegetable of ours, and has now become one of the “standard” vegetable dishes offered at authentic Chinese restaurants.
Popular Chinese Leafy Greens
What do I mean by that, you might be wondering. One of the questions we ask whenever we go to any Chinese restaurant is “what kind of fresh vegetables do you have?” Generally, the standard response is Chinese broccoli, choy sum (aka yu choy), spinach, and/or Shanghai bok choy.
But lately, it seems that ong choy or “kōng xīn cài” (空心菜) in Mandarin has made it onto the list of “basics!” Kong xin cai, which translates to “hollow heart vegetable,” is also called kang kung in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. We order the “kang kung belacan” (water spinach with shrimp paste) whenever we go to Malaysian restaurants.
One other up and coming vegetable that I think may have already “arrived” is stir fried pea leaves or stir fried pea tips as they are called. Pea leaves are also a popular choice these days at Chinese restaurant that serve authentic Chinese dishes.
Once you’ve asked what kind of fresh vegetables the kitchen has stocked, the question that would come back to you from the server is how you want your vegetables cooked—plain stir fried, with garlic paste, with fu yu (bean cheese or fermented bean curd), or with fish sauce?
We’ve tried water spinach using all methods, including water spinach with fermented tofu and our choice depends on the mood of the day, but more often it’s decided–like many things in our family–by whom of the four of us is most vocal about their choice!
A Special Preparation
You’ll note that XO sauce is *not* one of the standard preparation options because it is A) very expensive and B) very expensive! So this vegetable dish is a real treat once you decide to make your own batch of XO sauce at home.
Be sure to check out Kaitlin’s Homemade XO Sauce recipe. You can make a big batch, and, trust us, you will want it because homemade XO is like gold and would probably transform an old piece of shoe leather into a tasty meal.
Give this dish a try!
Recipe Instructions
Prepare the fresh water spinach by first cutting off the larger, tough bottoms of the stems. You want to leave the more tender parts of the stems, because part of the experience of eating water spinach is the hollow stems, which complement the tender leaves, giving a nice overall crunchy texture.
We like to wash our veggies thoroughly (3 times), and after the last rinse, we give everything a good shake in a large colander to drain the excess water. See our Chinese leafy green vegetables page for a complete description, and tips on how we like to wash our veggies!
Heat your wok over high heat, and add the oil and ginger. Stir for about 10 seconds to let the ginger infuse the oil, and then add the garlic and the XO sauce.
Give the mixture a quick stir–your wok should be close to smoking now.
Add the Ong Choy, immediately moving the vegetables around with your spatula. The vegetables should cool the wok a bit, but it is important to stir the vegetables right away, and use a folding motion with your spatula to mix the oil and sauce evenly in with the vegetables. See that steam and the “wok hay” forming at the bottom of the wok!
If the vegetables get too tightly tangled into a ball, just use your wok spatula to spread the vegetables out in an even layer so each piece gets its fair share of oil and sauce. Season with sugar and salt.
After about a minute of stir frying, your vegetables should be coated evenly with the oil and sauce. Next, move the vegetables into a mound in the middle of the wok, keeping the heat on high. This technique is to allow the sides of the wok to super heat, so you can get more of that elusive “wok hay” signature flavor you taste at your favorite Chinese restaurants.
After about 30 seconds of high heat, there should be some liquid building up at the bottom of the wok–this actually protects your vegetables from burning and produces some steam to help the vegetables cook nicely. Next, use your wok spatula to spread your vegetable mound in a circular motion around the wok to get that searing “wok hay” effect for another 15-30 seconds. An essential technique is to turn your wok spatula upside down when spreading the water spinach around the side of the wok to get that sear.
Plate and serve immediately. If you’re feeling generous, add a bit more XO sauce on top for extra flavor and garnish–we did!
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
Ong Choy with XO sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh Ong Choy (water spinach)
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 3-6 thin slices of ginger
- 5 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 3 tablespoons XO sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Ong Choy by first cutting off the larger, tough bottoms of the stems. You want to leave the more tender parts of the stems, because part of the experience of eating water spinach is the hollow stems, which complement the tender leaves, giving a nice overall crunchy texture.
- We like to wash our veggies thoroughly (3 times), and after the last rinse, we give everything a good shake in a large colander to drain the excess water. See our Chinese leafy green vegetables page for a complete description, and tips on how we like to wash our veggies!
- Heat your wok over high heat, and add the oil and ginger. Stir for about 10 seconds to let the ginger infuse the oil, and then add the garlic and the XO sauce.
- Give the mixture a quick stir–your wok should be close to smoking now, and add the Ong Choy, immediately moving the vegetables around with your spatula. The vegetables should cool the wok a bit, but it is important to stir the vegetables right away, and use a folding motion with your spatula to mix the oil and sauce evenly in with the vegetables.
- If the vegetables get too tightly tangled into a ball, just use your wok spatula to spread the vegetables out in an even layer so each piece gets its fair share of oil and sauce. Season with sugar and salt.
- After about a minute of stir frying, your vegetables should be coated evenly with the oil and sauce. Next, move the vegetables into a mound in the middle of the wok, keeping the heat on high. This technique is to allow the sides of the wok to super heat, so you can get that elusive “wok hay” signature flavor you taste at your favorite Chinese restaurants.
- After about 30 seconds of high heat, there should be some liquid building up at the bottom of the wok–this actually protects your vegetables from burning and produces some steam to help the vegetables cook nicely. Next, use your wok spatula to spread your vegetable mound in a circular motion around the wok to get that searing “wok hay” effect for another 15-30 seconds. An essential technique is to turn your wok spatula upside down when spreading the water spinach around the side of the wok to get that sear.
- Plate and serve immediately. If you’re feeling generous, add a bit more XO sauce on top for extra flavor and garnish.
