Flash-Fried Morning Glory (Phak Bung Fai Daeng)
ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง Phat phak bung fai daengSay it: pat pak boong fai dang
Phak bung fai daeng — literally 'morning glory, red fire' — is the wok-heat showpiece of Thai street cooking, eaten across central Thailand as a quick side or a light dish over rice. Hollow-stemmed water spinach hits a screaming-hot wok with garlic, bird's eye chilies and fermented soybean paste, so it wilts in under two minutes while staying crisp. The result is smoky, salty-sweet, garlicky and fiercely fresh, with a flicker of chili heat in every bite.
Flash-Fried Morning Glory (Phak Bung Fai Daeng)
ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง, Phat phak bung fai daeng
Pronounced pat pak boong fai dang
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Total
- 21 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, soy, fish, shellfish. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Stir-fry
Sauce
Method
Trim the morning glory. cut off and discard the tough lower stems, then cut the rest into 3-inch (7 cm) lengths, keeping the stem pieces and the leafy pieces in separate piles. Rinse well under cold water and dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or with a clean towel — wet leaves steam instead of frying.
Pound the garlic and chilies in a mortar, or chop them together on a board, into a rough, chunky paste.
Stir the yellow bean paste, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and water together in a small bowl until smooth, and set it right beside the stove with the pepper.
Heat a wok over the highest heat until it just starts to smoke, then add the oil and swirl it around the sides.
Add the garlic-chili paste and stir constantly for 10–15 seconds, until it smells sharp and fragrant and is just turning pale gold — do not let it brown.
Tip in the stem pieces first and toss for about 20 seconds, then add the leaves and keep everything moving.
Pour the sauce down the side of the wok, toss hard and constantly for 60–90 seconds, until the leaves collapse, the stems are bright green and just tender-crisp, and the sauce clings rather than pools.
Pull the wok off the heat, scatter in the white pepper, give one last toss and slide onto a plate. Serve at once — the dish softens as it sits.
Regional variant: Morning Glory with Minced Pork (Phak Bung Fai Daeng Sai Moo)
Add 3.5 oz (100 g) coarsely minced pork and 1 extra tsp of oil. Brown the pork in the hot wok for about 1 minute, breaking it up, before adding the garlic and chilies, then continue exactly as written. The pork releases fat and juices that make the sauce richer; add a splash more water if the wok looks dry.
Cook's notes
- Dry the greens as thoroughly as you can; any water left on them kills the wok heat and turns the stir-fry limp.
- Have every ingredient prepped and within arm's reach before the wok goes on — once it starts, there is no time to chop.
- If your wok or stove is small, cook in two batches; an overcrowded pan steams the morning glory instead of charring it.
Serve with
Steamed jasmine rice, a fried egg on top, and grilled chicken or som tam on the side.
Make ahead and storage
Not suitable for making ahead — the dish is best eaten within minutes of leaving the wok, though leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated and can be reheated hard and fast in a hot pan.
