What can I use instead of Morning Glory?

Morning Glory is hard to find a substitute for. But if you can’t find this amazing leafy green vegetable but still want the Thai flavors from the sauces used in the stir fry, a good alternative to morning glory is kale, bok choy, Chinese broccoli, and even broccoli florets.

Where can I find morning glory?

Morning glory can be found at local Asian markets. They have long hollow stems and thin and long bright green leaves. They are about 1-2 feet long and usually sold in large bunches.

Is Thai Morning Glory healthy?

Thai morning glory is mostly a healthy dish. The traditional recipe requires quite a bit of oil for stir-frying, but you can easily cut down on the oil. You can also substitute white sugar for monk fruit sugar or other sweeteners.

What does morning glory taste like?

Morning Glory stir-fried is umami and salty with a subtle sweet taste of sugar. The bean paste has a silky and salty flavor that adds to the sauce's umami taste mixed with oyster and soy sauce. The garlic and chilis add the most aromatic fragrance cooked on high heat in a wok.

How Long Does Morning Glory take to cook?

Morning glory takes little cooking time, especially when cooked on high heat in a carbon steel wok. Depending on your stovetop temperature, cooking takes 3-5 minutes until the water spinach reaches its tender-crisp stage. Once the vegetable starts to wilt, you are done and ready to serve.

Thai Morning Glory Stir-Fried Recipe

Name: Thai Morning Glory Stir-Fried (Pak Boong Fai Dang)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 10 oz (300 grams morning Glory/water spinach.; 2 tablespoon oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon soybean paste; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chopped small; 1-4 fresh Thai chilis*; 1 1/2 tablespoon oil; 4 tablespoon of water. As needed.

Description

Thai morning glory stir-fried (Pak Boong Fai Dang) is a popular leafy greens simple side dish served all over Thailand. The Chinese water spinach is cooked at high heat in a hot wok with a good amount of garlic and umami stir-fry sauce to make it a delicious dish to have as a side dish.

Ingredients

Scale

10 oz (300 grams morning Glory/water spinach.
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soybean paste
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chopped small
1-4 fresh Thai chilis*
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
4 tablespoon of water. As needed.

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Instructions

In a large bowl, soak, wash, rinse the morning glory in cold water, and cut the morning glory into small pieces. See kitchen notes for the best tips for cutting.
Mix the sauce and use only 2 tablespoons of water. Save the other half for the wok. Heat a large wok or a large skillet on high heat, and add oil. Once hot, add the garlic and chilis and cook until lightly brown. 15-30 seconds
Add the water spinach, and use a spatula to flip the vegetable around with the chilis and garlic for 2 minutes until the morning glory starts to wilt.
You’ll have to work fast and stay close to the pan here. Add water, hear the pan sizzle, and quickly stir everything together. *flames in Thailand
Add the sauce, stir in well, and often. Cook for 1 more minute, turn the heat off, and let residual heat continues to cook the vegetable for a few more seconds. Place on a serving plate and serve hot with steamed rice. Sticky rice is a fun rice entree for this dish, as you can roll up the sticky rice with your fingers into rice balls and dip the rice into the umami sauce!

Notes

This dish cooks fast and on high heat. Use caution when adding the spinach to the hot pan. You’ll want to stay close and stir the vegetable often.
Cutting the water spinach. Cut the morning glory stems into about 2-3 inch pieces. This is where you'll have the crunchy stems cut at about 2-3 inches long, while the softer stems and leafy parts are only cut into 4-6 inches pieces.
The amount of water spinach used will seem large and overfill your pan. Don’t panic. The vegetable will wilt fast and A lot in the pan's heat. Once done, you’ll end up with 2 cups of cooked water spinach. (:
When adding water to the wok in step 2, the water added to high heat will help wilt the leaves quicker. In Thailand, this is where you’ll see red flames of fire charring the water spinach in the wok. Thus, the dish's actual name in Thai is “Pak Boong Fai Dang.” (ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง)
You can use unsalted stock instead of water for extra flavors.

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Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 5
Category: Easy, Stir fried
Method: Stir fried
Cuisine: Thai

Keywords: Thai morning glory stir-fried recipe, pad pak boong fai dang, water spinach stir fried, Pad pak boong, Pak Boong Fai Dang