The Stir-fried greens with garlic Rau xanh toi xao Like much of Vietnamese food, this dish is simple and delicious. When cooking in a wok, you get an excellent smoky taste to the greens. I had this in Hanoi, where it was made with pumpkin stems, the green curly vines that attach to the pumpkin from the main plant, but any dark, leafy greens will work. Pumpkin, zucchini, or other squash blossoms are also ideal. Try to find pumpkin stems if you can, though, as they are so tasty. I recommend that either you start growing some yourself or you can look for them at farmers’ markets or Italian or other specialty produce markets, where they can occasionally be found. These are also good places to look for pumpkin and squash blossoms. Or try your local pumpkin grower if you have one nearby.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 1⁄4lb (1kg) pumpkln stems or spinach, Swiss chard, or kale, stemmed and torn
3 baby zucchini, thinly sliced horizontally
vegetable oil for stir-frying
3 small garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons fish sauce such as nuoc nam
juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. If using pumpkin stems, peel off the stringy outside fibers, as you would with celery, and cut the stems into 3in (8cm) lengths. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Set up a large bowl of ice water nearby.
2. Blanch the greens and zucchini for 3 minutes—they should still have some bite. Strain the vegetables. Immediately plunge the vegetables into the ice water so they stop cooking and retain their bright colors. Strain through a colander.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or pan until hot. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until golden. Add the blanched greens and zucchini, and stir-fry for just long enough to coat in the oil and garlic.
4. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Add the fish sauce and lemon juice, and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
5. Serve immediately as part of a meal with meat, fish, or rice.
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