Stir-fried Spinach with Ikan Bilis

Stir-fried Spinach with Crispy Ikan Bilis

Having a plate of vegetables on the dinner table makes a home-cooked meal taste both wholesome and healthy. This is one of the vegetable dishes I cooked frequently because we really love Chinese spinach at home. I like to use either sharp or round spinach (determined by the shape of the leaves) because their stems are delightfully soft and tender after cooking. The crispy ikan bilis (dried anchovies) adds an extra savoury kick to this dish. You may skip the ikan bilis if you wish, but you may need to use a bit more soy sauce since the ikan bilis are naturally quite salty. I enjoy this so much that I can have a plate of vegetables all to myself with a bowl of white rice.

Shallow frying ikan bilis in hot oil until golden brown and crispy – a really nice topping for the spinach

Sharp Spinach Leaves

Ingredients
(serves 2)

- 1 small handful of ikan bilis (dried anchovies), rinsed and pat dry
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 200g round/sharp spinach
- 3 slices ginger, sliced thinly
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Chinese wine

Sauce (A)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Directions
1. Separate spinach leaves and stems. Snap the stem into 5 cm length, pulling and discarding the strings.
2. Heat oil and add ikan bilis, cooking until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Drain ikan bilis from oil and set aside.
3. Using the remaining oil in the wok, add garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant.
4. Add spinach stems and carrot slices. Stir fry for about 2 minutes until just softened.
5. Add spinach leaves and sauce (A). Stir fry until the leaves are wilted. Then cover with lid and let the contents simmer for 30 seconds.
6. Drizzle Chinese wine on the sides of the wok, off the flame when you smell the aroma of the wine.
7. Dish into serving plate and top with the previously fried ikan bilis.

Cooking Notes
1. To prevent oil splatters, dry the vegetables and ikan bilis thoroughly before adding to the hot oil.

Ingredients Used carrot • chinese wine • garlic • ginger • spinach

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