January 9, 2007
Stir Fried Spinach - I’m Popeye The Sailor Man (toot toot)
Green leafy vegetables have lots of health benefits. Popeye ate spinach to make himself super strong and fight Bruto. I wonder if he knows he was also protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases - all the potential Brutos in our life.
Other health benefits of spinach include reducing symptoms of asthma, and the frequency of migraine attacks for people who have them. Eating spinach may also give you a smarter brain! (Don’t say I said that. It’s some researchers somewhere who said that. It sounds positive.)
Spinach Selection and Storage:
Spinach leaves should have a vibrant deep green color and look fresh and tender. Avoid spinach leaves that are showing signs of yellowing, wilting, are bruised or slimy.
Store fresh spinach loosely packed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep fresh for about five days. It is best to consume spinach as soon after purchasing as possible.
Do not wash spinach leaves before storing as the moisture will cause it to spoil (Leaves will turn slimy and wilt).
Avoid storing cooked spinach as it will not keep very well and nutrients will be further lost on reheating the spinach.
Preparation:
Spinach should be washed very well since the leaves and stems tend to collect sand and soil.
An easy Chinese recipe for cooking spinach is just to stir fry them with minced garlic and oyster sauce.
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 1 heaped plateful of spinach leaves.
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup water
Cooking Method:
1. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in wok. Medium heat. When oil is hot enough, add garlic and stir fry until fragrant.
2. Add spinach leaves and stir fry for a while to mix well with garlic.
3. Cover wok with lid for 2 minutes and allow water from washed spinach leaves to steam.
4. Add oyster sauce and some water (if required). Mix well and serve.
Cost:
Yet another benefit of buying spinach is that it is a relatively cheap vegetable. Cheap and good! Just the other day, I got myself 1.38lb worth of spinach at US$1.29/lb. How’s that for a good deal! I used the spinach in several ways and I still have some left over.
Bite This!
More recipes:
Spinach Stir Fry With Fishball
Instant Noodles? Kick It Up A Notch With Spinach Soup
Ravioli With Spinach And Ricotta Cheese - Off The Shelf
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January 9th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
What a coincidence, I read your comment on Melting Wok and learned that you are trying to make some Or Nee..they are the best. I made some last weekend, but before I could take a picture, they were gone (I have guests over!).
LOL.
January 9th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Haha! Ya… and from your nasi lemak post I realised screwpine leaves and pandan leaves are the same thing!
January 9th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Olive(popeye gf) shd eat more spinach to protect herself from osteoporosis…..hahhahhahaha
I did not know screwpine is pandan too?!
Wow, the Or Nee sure gone fast….vanish even before appear on your post.
January 9th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
I grew up on Popeye. Whatever happened to him? Replaced by Mr Incredible and Buzz?
January 9th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Thanks for storage directions. I actually have been avoiding buying spinach cause it always goes bad in my fridge… Now I’ll try it.
January 9th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Olive looks like she suffers from brittle bones.
I dunno what happened to Popeye. His boat sank?
January 10th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Must be the day for eating healthy. I stir-fried water spinach last night. :)
January 10th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Hi Vasilisa, now I know Rachel Ray is not always right. She recommends we prewash our vegetables when back from our big supermarketing day, but we can’t really do that for ALL vegetables.
Chopsticks - stir fried vegetables are so easy right?
January 10th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
spinach! i just bought some oyster sauce. i will try this out. i usually use soy sauce for spinach. :)
January 11th, 2007 at 6:28 am
we always learn something new from others. Never heard of screwpine leaves. i would have said, apa itu?
ask u all ah, what do you all think of storing veggies in vacuum containers? sis and i saw them on sale at Taka, but they were so expensive. Our unconsumed veg usually go to waste.
January 11th, 2007 at 9:00 am
BuddingCook - Sometimes I use a bit of both (oyster sauce and soy sauce) Just be careful not to add to much as oyster sauce is very salty.
KeropokMan - Why would you want to buy veggies to keep? Just walk to the market to buy fresh ones lor…
January 11th, 2007 at 10:20 am
aiya, i only do groceries weekend or if i leave work on the dot.
other times, shop close lor… :-(