I have childhood memories of my mother making this for me and telling me about its beneficial health effects!
It is foolproof, with easy-to-buy ingredients and very healthy. Serve with jasmine/basmati rice.
—Jenny Ai-Ling Lo, Penang, Malaysia, on this Malaysian side dish.
Spinach and Ginger Salad
(Serves 4)
800 grams / 2 pounds fresh spinach, chopped.
2–3 tablespoons peanut / groundnut or olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
Splash of soy sauce
Pinch chili powder, or ½ teaspoon chopped fresh chili pepper, de-seeded
Heat the wok over a high heat and add the oil when very hot and slightly smoking. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 12 to 15 seconds or until cooked but still slightly crispy. Now splash in the soy sauce.
Next, put in the spinach and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes so that it blends with the ginger, oil and sauce.
When the spinach has wilted to a third of its size, add lots of pepper and continue to stir-fry briefly to combine the ingredients well before serving.
Reprinted with permission from
One World Vegetarian Cookbook
Troth Wells, 2019, Interlink Books, 978-1-56656-834-0, $35 hb, interlinkbooks.com.
Troth Wells is an Oxford-based food writer and author of cookbooks including also The Spices of Life (2001), Global Vegetarian Cooking (2010) and Small Planet, Small Plates: Earth-Friendly Vegetarian Recipes (2012), all published by Interlink Books.