Recipe for 'Stir-fried Morning Glory' made with water spinach

Often seen on menus while traveling in Thailand and Vietnam, stir-fried morning glory combines a crisp texture with the savory richness of oil, giving it a feel reminiscent of Korean food. Recently, more Vietnamese restaurants and other establishments in Korea have begun serving morning glory. Here is a simple way to make it at home.

How to make stir-fried morning glory (gongsimchae)

Ingredients: 1 bunch of morning glory (200g), 10 cloves of garlic, 5 peperoncino peppers, 3–4 tbsp of rice bran oil (vegetable oil)

Seasoning sauce: 1/2 tbsp doenjang (soybean paste), 1 tbsp cooking wine, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp brewed soy sauce (If fish sauce is unavailable, Korean fish sauce, or aekjeot, can be used instead. Thai chilies are preferable to peperoncino, but spicy Cheongyang chilies or red chilies are also options if Thai chilies are unavailable.)

1. First, cut the morning glory so that the tender leaves are long and the stem parts are short.

2. Put the garlic and peperoncino in a mortar and crush them coarsely; if you have Vietnamese chilies, add them as well.

3. Next, add 3 tablespoons of rice bran oil to a pan and stir-fry the garlic and chili.

4. Once the garlic oil is sufficiently infused, turn the heat to maximum and stir-fry quickly from this point on. Add the stem parts of the morning glory first, and once they have wilted somewhat, add the tender leaves later.

5. Next, mix the seasoning sauce well and add it. To create a smoky flavor, pour the soy sauce around the edge of the pan to finish.

[Fam Times = Baek Hyeon-jeong, journalist]