Flash-fried water spinach (Phat phak bung fai daeng)

1. Wash the water spinach and cut into 8-10 cm lengths; coarsely pound the garlic and chillies in a mortar.

2. Mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and water in a bowl.

3. Put the spinach in a bowl, pile the garlic-chilli on top and pour over the sauce – so everything goes into the wok at once.

4. Heat the wok over high heat until smoking and pour in the oil.

5. Tip in the spinach with the sauce in one go and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, tossing constantly, until the leaves wilt but the stems are still crunchy.

6. Turn out into a dish at once and serve with rice.

Tip: "Fai daeng" means "red flame": the sauce poured into the hot wok flares up, giving a smoky flavour. You can also use young spinach or chard instead of water spinach, but the cooking time is shorter.