Dish of Malabar Spinach and Shrimp
(click to enlarge)

Malabar Spinach & Shrimp


China   -   Saan Choy
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 side
**
35 min
Some		 Malabar Spinach is popular all over Southeast Asia, Southern China, Southern India and tropical Africa, regions too hot for regular spinach. See also our Vietnamese version.

1
5
1-1/2
1
1/4
-------
2
1
1/3
-------
2
1
oz
oz
#
cl
in
---
T
T
T
---
T
t
Salted Fish (2)
Shrimp
Malabar Spinach (2)  
Garlic
Ginger root
-- Sauce
Rice Wine (3)
Oyster Sauce
Salt
----------------
Oil
Sesame Oil, dark

For a faster finish, you could fry the salt fish as part of the prep stage.

Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Slice SALTED FISH very thin. Don't worry if it breaks up.
  2. Rinse SAAN CHOY well. Break up vines into convenient lengths, discarding overly thick stems and removing large leaves from stems.
  3. Shell SHRIMP. Leave whole or cut in half depending on size and your preference.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER very thin and chop fine. Mix.
  5. Mix all Sauce items.
RUN   -   (12 min)
  1. In a wok heat Oil over moderate heat and fry Salted Fish, stirring until lightly browned. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Crumble it if it hasn't already broken into small pieces.
  2. Stir in Garlic mix and fry stirring for a moment. Stir in Shrimp and fry stirring for another moment, then stir in Spinach until coated with oil.
  3. Stir in Sauce mix and stir over moderately high heat until Spinach is wilted and a uniform cooked color. Don't overcook or it'll become slimy.
  4. Adjust liquid if needed, sprinkle with Sesame Oil (dark) and Serve hot.
NOTES:

  1. Salted Fish:

      Fillets of salted fish, often mackerel, are to be found in the freezer cases of markets serving Korean, Chinese and Southeast Asian communities. For details see our Salted Fish page.

  2. Malabar Spinach:

      [Mong Toi, Saan Choy]   It's closer to cactus than to our regular spinach, but has a similar (but much milder) taste. Be careful not to overcook it - it can become slimy. For details see our Malabar Spinach page

  3. Rice Wine:

      Use a good, drinkable Chinese rice wine, not that horrid salted "cooking" version. If you don't have this, use a Dry Sherry. Sake is made from rice but is not considered a good substitute. For details see our Chinese Rice Wine page.

  4. Oyster Sauce:

      A standard Chinese sauce also used in Southeast Asia for dishes in the Chinese style. My current favorite is Megachef, but Lee Kum Kee Premium brand is also very good - the bottle looks very Chinese, but it's made in Los Angeles. Yes, these are more expensive than some, but there's reasons for that (much higher oyster content, unleaded and no melamine). For details see our Oyster Sauce page.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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