The mentality that nutritious and delicious food requires a lot of time and energy can no longer hold true in the Western hemisphere. All Asian countries boast a vast array of vegetarian dishes that are incredibly healthful and taste spectacular. Here, I’m using three of my favorite vegetables that are eaten daily all over Asia. They are readily available in any Asian grocery store and even in many Western markets now. However, you can use a combination of any of your favorite leafy green vegetables.

Serves 4 as an Accompanying Dish

Ingredients
3 stems Chinese broccoli ends trimmed
3 stems Bok Choy ends trimmed
3 cups spinach leaves rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
2 bird’s eye chili peppers, thinly sliced (optional)

Method


Chop the Chinese broccoli and Bok Choy into bite sized chunks from stems to leaves; if there are thick stems, simply chop them into bite sized pieces on the diagonal. Place both vegetables in a large bowl. Rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Add the spinach leaves and set aside.

In a wok, heat the oil on high heat. Sauté the minced garlic for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and golden brown. Carefully toss in all the vegetables and quickly stir-fry. Turn heat down to medium high. Add the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce and chili peppers. Mix well. Serve immediately.

Tip: When placing the vegetables in the hot wok, be careful not to get hit by splattering oil as the remnants of water from the vegetables will cause this to happen. I like to place enough vegetables to cover the entire bottom of the wok so the oil doesn’t have a chance to escape. In using this technique though, you must work quickly so the garlic doesn’t burn at the bottom.