Liseron d'eau sauté (Pad Pak Boong Fai Daeng)
Liseron d'eau sauté très rapidement à feu vif avec ail, piment et sauce de soja fermenté, croquant et parfumé.
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Ingrédients
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Étapes
Prep the water spinach
Trim the tough bottom ends of the stems and wash the water spinach well in cold water, since it can hide grit near the base. Cut into 6 cm pieces, keeping the thicker stems separate from the leafy tops because the stems need a few extra seconds to cook.
- 400 g water spinach
✅ C'est prêt quand : the water spinach is washed, drained and cut, with stems and leaves kept apart
Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, mash the fermented soybean sauce a little with the back of a spoon to break up any large beans. Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and water or stock until combined; this is the whole seasoning, so have it ready before the wok gets hot.
- 1.5 tbsp fermented soybean sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water or stock
✅ C'est prêt quand : the sauce is smooth and well mixed
Heat the wok very hot
Pour the oil into a wok or large skillet and set it over the highest heat you have until the oil shimmers and faint wisps of smoke rise. This fierce heat, the 'fai daeng' or red fire that names the dish, is what keeps the leaves bright and the stems crisp instead of stewed.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
✅ C'est prêt quand : the oil shimmers and a drop of the sauce sizzles instantly on contact
Fry garlic and chili
Add the garlic and chili to the hot oil and stir constantly for 10–15 seconds until fragrant and just turning golden. Keep it moving the whole time, since garlic can burn and turn bitter in seconds at this heat.
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3-4 chilies
✅ C'est prêt quand : the garlic is fragrant and pale gold, not browned
Add stems, then leaves
Add the stems first and toss for about 15 seconds, then add the leaves and the sauce mixture. Toss everything constantly over the highest heat for roughly 1 minute, using tongs or a spatula to flip it the way street vendors do, so every piece touches the hot metal.
- 400 g water spinach, stems and leaves
- 1.5 tbsp sauce mixture (from step 2)
✅ C'est prêt quand : the leaves are bright green and just wilted while the stems are still crisp-tender
Serve right away
Tip the stir-fry onto a plate immediately and do not leave it sitting in the hot pan or under a lid, since trapped steam will overcook the leaves and turn them dull. Serve at once alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Prep the water spinach
Trim the tough bottom ends of the stems and wash the water spinach well in cold water, since it can hide grit near the base. Cut into 6 cm pieces, keeping the thicker stems separate from the leafy tops because the stems need a few extra seconds to cook.
- 400 g water spinach
✅ C'est prêt quand : the water spinach is washed, drained and cut, with stems and leaves kept apart
Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, mash the fermented soybean sauce a little with the back of a spoon to break up any large beans. Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and water or stock until combined; this is the whole seasoning, so have it ready before the wok gets hot.
- 1.5 tbsp fermented soybean sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water or stock
✅ C'est prêt quand : the sauce is smooth and well mixed
Heat the wok very hot
Pour the oil into a wok or large skillet and set it over the highest heat you have until the oil shimmers and faint wisps of smoke rise. This fierce heat, the 'fai daeng' or red fire that names the dish, is what keeps the leaves bright and the stems crisp instead of stewed.
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
✅ C'est prêt quand : the oil shimmers and a drop of the sauce sizzles instantly on contact
Fry garlic and chili
Add the garlic and chili to the hot oil and stir constantly for 10–15 seconds until fragrant and just turning golden. Keep it moving the whole time, since garlic can burn and turn bitter in seconds at this heat.
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3-4 chilies
✅ C'est prêt quand : the garlic is fragrant and pale gold, not browned
Add stems, then leaves
Add the stems first and toss for about 15 seconds, then add the leaves and the sauce mixture. Toss everything constantly over the highest heat for roughly 1 minute, using tongs or a spatula to flip it the way street vendors do, so every piece touches the hot metal.
- 400 g water spinach, stems and leaves
- 1.5 tbsp sauce mixture (from step 2)
✅ C'est prêt quand : the leaves are bright green and just wilted while the stems are still crisp-tender
Serve right away
Tip the stir-fry onto a plate immediately and do not leave it sitting in the hot pan or under a lid, since trapped steam will overcook the leaves and turn them dull. Serve at once alongside steamed jasmine rice.
The Story Behind the Dish
Water spinach grows easily in the canals and wet fields of Thailand, and cooks there discovered that its hollow stems stay crisp even after a fierce blast of heat. Street vendors turned this everyday vegetable into one of the fastest, most theatrical dishes in Thai cooking, built entirely around the roar of a flame hot enough to sear in seconds.
The name itself, 'fai daeng' or red fire, points to the cooking technique rather than a special ingredient: this is a dish defined by heat and speed, finished with salty, fermented soybean sauce for depth.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is loved for the contrast of silky wilted leaves against crunchy stems, all pulled together by the savory punch of fermented soybean sauce and fresh chili.
💡 Fun Fact
At some Thai street stalls, cooks toss the wok with a dramatic flourish so the vegetables fly across the open flame and land straight on the waiting plate, a bit of showmanship closely linked to this particular dish.
Thailand, especially street-food stalls across Bangkok and the central region
13.76°N, 100.50°E
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