Watercress with Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce
Traditional Chinese cooks love to stir-fry watercress year-round; use a salad spinner so the watercress is dry to the touch, or a stir-fry becomes a braise. If watercress is young and tender, stir-fry the whole stems. If the stem ends are woody and tough, discard them.
From EatingWell: February/March 2005
Yield: 4 servings, about 1/2 cup each
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed
- 24 cups watercress, (14 ounces or about 6 bunches)
- Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce, (recipe follows)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Preparation
- Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl canola oil into the pan, add garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add watercress and stir-fry until it just begins to wilt, about 1 minute. (The wok will become very full as the watercress is added; stir constantly to avoid scorching the greens.) Stir Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce and swirl it into the pan; stir-fry until the watercress is just tender but still bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sesame oil. Remove garlic. Serve immediately. Variation: Use 16 cups spinach in place of watercress. Per serving: 123 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 343 mg sodium. 1 Carbohydrate Serving
- Make Ahead Tip: Wash and dry watercress up to 4 hours ahead
- Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine. It is available in most Asian specialty markets and some larger supermarkets in the Asian section. If unavailable, dry sherry is an acceptable substitute.
Nutrition Per serving:
104 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 1 g fiber; 285 mg sodium; 674 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin K (649% daily value), Vitamin A (190% dv), Vitamin C (150% dv), Calcium (25% dv).
Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat