Dish of Shrimp with Malabar Spinach
(click to enlarge)

Shrimp with Malabar Spinach


Viet / California
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2 w/rice
**
30 min
Part		 An excellent light main dish - the malabar spinach is much less harsh than regular spinach would be. See also the original Chinese version.

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

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

Prep   (10 min)
  1. Slice SALTED FISH about 1/8 inch thick. Don't worry if it breaks up. Dry on paper towels.
  2. Shell SHRIMP. Cut in half crosswise if very large.
  3. Rinse SPINACH and cut tendrils into convenient lengths, separating large leaves and tearing really large leaves into two or three pieces. Discard stems 1/4 inch diameter or larger and any that seem fibrous when you break them. Shake off excess water.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop very fine. Slice GINGER thin, cut into slivers and chop very fine. Mix
  5. Mix all Sauce items.
Run   (15 min)
  1. Heat OIL, preferably in a wok but a spacious sauté pan will work. Fry Salted Fish stirring until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Crumble it if it hasn't already broken into small pieces.
  2. Fry Garlic mix stirring until it shows a touch of color, then stir in Shrimp for just a moment.
  3. Stir in Spinach until it is coated with oil, then stir in the Sauce mix. Cook stirring frequently just until the spinach is a uniform cooked color (see Note-3), then stir in Salted Fish.
  4. Serve immediately with steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Salted Fish:

      Available, generally in the frozen fish case, at most East and Southeast Asian markets. 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. Method:

      As with regular spinach (but more so) be careful not to overcook - it can become slimy and leave an iron aftertaste. When it is a uniform cooked color it is done.

  4. Fish Sauce

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisines as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce Introduction page.

  5. 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.

  6. Rice Wine:

      Use a good drinkable Rice Wine, not that horrid "cooking wine". If you don't have it, use a dry Sherry. Sake is made of rice but not considered a good substitute, it's beer, not wine. For details see our Chinese Rice Wine page.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch tt=to taste ar=as required
smf_shmpms1 090704 inet   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Linking and non-commercial use permitted