Make this easy Ong Choy Stir Fry with a zesty shrimp paste sauce in just minutes! You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this easy veggie side dish packed full of traditional Chinese flavours.
Ong Choy Stir Fry Recipe
My whole family LOVES this easy Ong Choy Stir Fry dish that looks vibrant on the table and has explosive flavours! The ong choy is one of my favorite vegetables, but it’s made so much better with a super simple shrimp paste sauce that comes together in just a few minutes.
Everyone has heard of — and almost certainly loves — a stir fry dish, but not everyone knows the real steps to make authentic stir fry at home. I’ll teach you all the stir fry tips and tricks to make your dish extra aromatic and flavourful!
What is Ong Choy?
Ong choy is known by many names including water spinach, river spinach, morning glory, and tong choy.
“Tong choy” in Cantonese literally means hollow vegetable. That’s how it’s known at many Toronto Chinese restaurants and how I most commonly heard it referred to during my visit to Hong Kong.
In a stir fry, you get both the crunchy stems and wilted greens for the best of both worlds! The taste is similar to spinach with a mild, sweet flavour and it pairs well with a strong sauce like shrimp paste.
There’s two common types: a variety with a paler green colour and stem, and one that is dark green all around. Growing up, our family would boil the dark green one and use the lighter one for a stir fry. You can even snack on it raw!
In my experience, the lighter green holds up a little better in a stir fry recipe. However, use what you can find! Either one will be tasty. You’ll have most luck checking your local Asian grocery stores in the summer.
What is Shrimp Paste?
Ong choy with shrimp paste is a popular pairing in Chinese households, and it should be! I used Lee Kum Kee brand shrimp sauce, made of fermented shrimp and salt.
It is salty and pungent on its own, but when balanced with sugar, garlic, and shallot, it really makes this sauce extra tasty and perfect with the ong choy.
Luckily, shrimp paste can be found at most Asian grocery stores in Canada.
How to Make It
- First, make the sauce! Sauté the shallots and garlic in a little oil. You can use a pan or wok for this recipe.
- Then, add the shrimp paste and sugar and stir it all together.
- Now, crank the heat and add the wine. Immediately add all your ong choy to the wok, and flip all the veggies so they’re mostly covered in sauce.
- Cover your wok for a few minutes, then check the doneness. The longer you cook it, the softer it will get.
How Do You Stir Fry Properly?
To make the sauce extra fragrant, cook the aromatics in the wok or pan first, followed by the shrimp paste, before adding the vegetables. I promise this simple tweak to how you stir fry will make all the difference!
I also love to serve this stir fry ong choy with a fermented bean curd sauce. With one easy swap, you can make this traditional Chinese side dish totally vegan!
Which one do you like better? Try them both and let me know!
Happy cooking!
If you like easy weeknight recipes, check out:
- Lotus Root Stir Fry
- Thai Mango Shrimp Salad
- Soy Sauce Turkey
- One-Pot Red Curry Mussels
- Snow Pea Leaf Stir Fry
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Easy Ong Choy Stir Fry with Shrimp Paste
Learn the steps to make this aromatic stir fry with ong choy and Chinese shrimp paste. It only takes a few minutes and just one pan!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ong choy trimmed and cut into three even sections
- 1.5 teaspoons shrimp paste
- 1 shallot minced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- ⅛ cup (30ml) Chinese cooking wine
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Cooking oil
Instructions
Heat up a wok or pan and add oil. Sauté the shallots, followed by the garlic.
Add in the shrimp paste and sugar to the shallot garlic mixture, and move it around the pan.
Turn up the heat, and add the cooking wine. Quickly add all the ong choy into the wok. Do a few flips of all of the ingredients and close the lid for about 3 minutes. Open the lid to check for preferred doneness.
- Mix, plate and serve.
Recipe Notes
- For softer ong choy, cook more than 3 minutes.
- To make vegan, use fermented bean curd instead of shrimp paste.
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1 Comment
Alison
August 14, 2022 at 9:39 pmThank you for this recipe! It’s my favourite dish from childhood. I made it today and it’s the first vegetable my kid says she likes (she actually said “love”!).
One thing: I couldn’t find the directions for the water; I assume you put it in before putting the lid on to help steam the veggies?
And do you have any tips for lessening the splatter when the shrimp paste goes in?