Stir-fried Spinach is a popular choice of leafy green side when it comes to Chinese home cooking. It’s nutrient-dense and cooks quickly. Here’s how we do it!
The Benefits of Cooked Spinach
So much of spinach these days is consumed raw in salads, but when you stir-fry it, it’s much easier for your body to absorb all those good nutrients like calcium, iron, and magnesium. Plus, you actually eat a lot more spinach (and fiber/vitamins), because the spinach cooks down so much.
If you’re looking to expand your regular rotation of vegetables, give this stir-fried spinach a try! It doesn’t appear as often as it should on our dinner table. I pride myself on cooking a wide variety of vegetables, but even I could stand to expand my regular repertoire of go-to vegetables.
The Secrets to Tasty Stir-Fried Leafy Greens
If your leafy greens don’t taste as good at the restaurant’s, there are a few factors to consider. I believe the most important one is using more oil.
While many people want to cut down on oil, much of the important vitamins and antioxidants in vegetables are fat-soluble. Your body needs some dietary fat to break them down and absorb them.
More importantly, it yields a tastier result. It’s kind of like using salad dressing. Oil is key to a delicious cooked vegetable. (It’s the same reason why oil is such an important ingredient in our dumpling fillings too!)
The other element that makes stir-fried spinach delicious is wok hei. The term translates to “the breath of a wok.” It’s that signature smoky flavor imparted to food when you cook it in a super hot wok and the high heat vaporizes microscopic droplets of cooking oil.
What Type of Spinach to Use
It seems the most popular type of spinach these days is baby spinach. We love the convenience of pre-washed baby spinach, but for this recipe, we used Taiwanese spinach, a variety of curly spinach with large dark green leaves and thick yet tender stems. I prefer this variety because it is sweeter and more nutritious.
The pink base of the stem of spinach leaves is actually one of the healthiest parts, so take care not to trim it away! If the stems are very thick, I use a paring knife to lightly trim away the light brown woody exterior, leaving behind the clean pale pink part.
On to the recipe!
Spinach Stir-fry Recipe Instructions
It is important to wash the spinach clean. We soak our vegetables a few times and agitate it in the water to loosen any sand or debris. Each time you soak the spinach, lift it out of the water into a colander rather than pouring it, so the dirt and sand stays at the bottom of the bowl.
Shake the excess water off your washed spinach or run it through a salad spinner. Cut the spinach into 3-4 inch pieces, keeping the root end of the stems separate from the leaves and tender parts of the stem. Don’t trim away the root unless it feels very woody.
Heat your carbon steel wok or skillet over medium high until it’s just lightly smoking (this doesn’t apply to nonstick pans). Add the oil, followed by the garlic and the root portions of the spinach, which take a bit longer to cook. Increase the heat to high, cook for a minute, then add the rest of the spinach.
Stir-fry everything well, letting the spinach wilt. Add the salt, white pepper, and sesame oil. Stir-fry until the spinach is completely wilted but still bright green.
Transfer to a dish and serve.
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
Stir-fry Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 pound spinach (preferably Taiwanese spinach)
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
- 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Wash spinach clean by soaking a few times and agitating it in the water to loosen any sand or debris. Each time you soak the spinach, lift it out of the water into a colander rather than pouring it, so the dirt and sand stays at the bottom of the bowl.
- Shake the excess water off your washed spinach or run it through a salad spinner. Cut the spinach into 3-4 inch pieces, keeping the root end of the stems separate from the leaves and tender parts of the stem. Don’t trim away the root unless it feels very woody.
- Heat your carbon steel wok or skillet over medium high until it’s just lightly smoking (this doesn’t apply to nonstick pans). Add the oil, followed by the garlic and the root portions of the spinach, which take a bit longer to cook. Increase the heat to high, cook for a minute, then add the rest of the spinach.
- Stir-fry everything well, letting the spinach wilt. Add the salt, white pepper, and sesame oil. Stir-fry until the spinach is completely wilted but still bright green. Transfer to a dish and serve.
