Vietnamese Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Rau Muống Xào Tỏi (Stir-fried Water Spinach with Garlic)
A simple, ubiquitous side dish of water spinach stir-fried with plenty of garlic.
Contains common allergens
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Good to know
- Ready in under 30 minutes
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: 30-minute meals
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Prepare Greens: Wash the water spinach thoroughly. Pluck off the tender leaves and snap the hollow stems into 3-inch segments. Discard the tough, woody bottom stems.
- 2
Blanch (Optional but recommended): Plunge the vegetables into boiling water with a pinch of salt for 30 seconds. Drain immediately. This keeps them bright green and reduces stir-fry time.
- 3
Sizzle Garlic: Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil and the smashed garlic. Stir-fry for just a few seconds until highly fragrant but not browned.
- 4
Stir-fry: Immediately add the water spinach to the hot wok. Toss rapidly to coat the greens in the garlic oil.
- 5
Season: Add the fish sauce, bouillon powder, and sugar. Toss continuously for 1-2 minutes. The hollow stems should remain crunchy, and the leaves should be fully wilted.
- 6
Serve: Turn off the heat. Add a quick squeeze of lime juice for brightness if desired. Plate immediately to retain the vibrant green color.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
70/100
Good fit for most families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving70
Calories
0 g
Protein
2 g
Carbs
7 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Rau muong (water spinach, also called morning glory or kangkong) is one of the most common vegetables in Vietnamese cooking and across Southeast Asia, grown in paddies and along waterways throughout the country. Stir-fried with garlic, it is consumed as a daily vegetable side dish in Vietnamese homes from north to south, with slight regional variations in the seasoning — northerners tend to use plain salt and oil, while southern Vietnamese cooks more often reach for fish sauce and a pinch of sugar. Its cultural status in Vietnam is so foundational that 'an rau muong' (eating water spinach) is used idiomatically to mean eating simply and humbly.
Listahan note
This version uses roughly smashed garlic rather than finely minced to slow the browning and produce a mellower, more complex garlic flavor throughout the greens, and the fish sauce goes in at the very end to preserve its brightness.
Technique cues
- Water spinach wilts dramatically — a full large bunch reduces by about 75% in volume in under 3 minutes of high-heat cooking, so do not be alarmed by how much raw vegetable is in the pan; start with more than seems reasonable.
- The pan must be ripping hot before the garlic goes in; water spinach releases significant moisture as it hits the heat, and a hot pan vaporizes that moisture instantly rather than letting the greens braise in their own liquid and become soggy.
- Add the lime juice (if using) off the heat after plating — acidic ingredients added to the hot pan dull the color of green vegetables almost immediately; a squeeze over the finished plate keeps the greens vibrant and the acid flavor fresh.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- This dish cooks in under 5 minutes once the pan is hot; have rice or other dishes already plated and ready so the greens go straight from pan to table.
- Make-ahead
- Rau muong xao toi cannot be made ahead — it loses its bright color and crisp stems within 15 minutes of cooking; it must be made to order.
- Leftover move
- Leftover cooked water spinach can be chopped and added to congee or noodle soup the next day, where its softer texture is an advantage rather than a drawback.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Rinse the wok with hot water immediately after plating while the pan is still hot; the brief cook means minimal sticking, and the pan is clean in 30 seconds.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
1 large bunch water spinach (morning glory / rau muống)
main vegetable
Purpose: Water spinach has hollow stems that absorb the garlic-seasoned oil and firm leaves that hold their structure even after rapid high-heat cooking.
Handling: Tear into 3-4 inch sections by hand, keeping stems and leaves together; washing in cold water and spinning or shaking dry is important — wet greens steam instead of stir-fry.
Adaptation: Baby spinach or pea shoots can substitute in a pinch but wilt much faster and have less structural character; Chinese water convolvulus (widely available in Asian markets) is the most accurate substitute.
6-8 cloves garlic, roughly smashed and chopped
aromatic base
Purpose: Rough-chopped smashed garlic releases flavor more slowly than finely minced, staying in larger golden pieces that provide pops of roasted garlic flavor throughout the dish.
Handling: Smash cloves flat with the side of a knife first to loosen the skin, then chop roughly into irregular chunks rather than uniformly mincing.
Adaptation: No real substitute for garlic in this dish — it is the defining flavor.
1 tbsp fish sauce
seasoning
Purpose: Fish sauce seasons the greens with umami depth that plain salt cannot provide, complementing the garlic without competing with it.
Handling: Add at the very end of cooking or off heat; fish sauce added too early in the high-heat pan can turn bitter.
Adaptation: Soy sauce is a common substitution for a vegetarian version; add a small pinch of MSG to approximate the umami depth.
Technique notes
- If your wok or pan cannot get hot enough to cook the full bunch without steaming, cook in two batches — a slightly smaller amount in an adequately hot pan produces better results than a full amount in a pan that is not hot enough.
- The mushroom seasoning or chicken bouillon powder is a common Vietnamese pantry addition to vegetable stir-fries that adds background savory depth; use it sparingly or skip it if the fish sauce is sufficient.
- Rau muong xao toi is best eaten immediately off the pan while the stems still have a slight snap; it is one of the dishes at the Vietnamese table that waits for no one.
Ingredient swaps
- Vegan direction
- Replace fish sauce with soy sauce and a small pinch of MSG or nutritional yeast; the dish remains savory and deeply garlicky.
- Gluten-free direction
- Fish sauce is naturally gluten-free; skip the mushroom bouillon powder or choose a gluten-free brand if using.
- Where to find water spinach
- Water spinach (also sold as kangkong, morning glory, or rau muong) is widely available at Asian grocery stores and some farmers markets; Chinese or Southeast Asian grocery stores carry it reliably.
Serve alongside
- steamed jasmine rice
- tom rang thit ba chi (shrimp and pork belly) as a protein pairing
- Vietnamese canh (clear broth soup) to complete the com binh dan plate
- iced tra da (Vietnamese iced green tea)
- cold sparkling water with lime
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Best eaten immediately; leftover cooked water spinach loses its texture and turns limp within 30 minutes.
- If storing, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day and use in soups or congee rather than as a standalone side.
- Do not freeze — the leaves turn to mush.
Equipment
- wok or large skillet (the bigger the better for high heat)
- wok spatula or tongs for fast tossing
- colander for washing and draining the greens
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