Recipe: Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic

May 24, 2011 by The Bald Gourmet    2 Comments    Posted under: Easy Recipes, Recipes, Side Dish Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic

I discovered this simple and delicious dish at Din Tai Fung Restaurant in the Pavilion KL Mall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  My version has larger pieces of garlic and a touch of black pepper.  Perfect served as a side dish with Chinese BBQ pork, or as a meal all on its own over rice, it is absolutely delicious, especially with spinach grown in your own home garden!

Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic Ingredients

• 8 cups fresh spinach
• 1 head, or 12 cloves, garlic
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Kosher salt to taste, roughly ¼ teaspoon
• Black pepper to taste

If planning to serve with rice, now is the perfect time to start your rice.

Unless you’re blessed enough to have one of those fabulous Asian fire cannon burners, you will need to preheat your wok to get it hot enough to quick-cook this dish.  You want a very hot wok, so turn it on over high flame while you prep the ingredients.

Thoroughly wash the spinach and shake dry.  If leaves are very large, chop into halves or thirds to have more bite size pieces.  Slice the garlic.  You want nice large slices of garlic, so do not chop it.

Preppred Spinach and Garlic

Add the oil to the hot wok.  If you’ve gotten your wok hot enough, the oil should start smoking immediately.  If not, let the oil get hotter until it starts to smoke.  Add the garlic, then immediately add the spinach.

Garlic in Hot Oil

Stir fry together and season with salt and pepper.

Stir Fry Spinach

Let the spinach wilt thoroughly, stirring/turning every 30 seconds or so.  Once completely wilted, cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Wilted Spinach

Serve immediately.  I love it over rice.  If serving over rice, make sure to pour any left over juicy oil in the wok over the rice with the spinach.  It’s absolutely delicious!

Wok Fried Spinach with Garlic Served over Rice

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