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Chinese Watercress With Garlic Stir Fry 西洋菜

Chinese Watercress With Garlic Stir Fry 西洋菜

Have you ever had Watercress before?  Chinese Watercress With Garlic Stir Fry is a pretty common dish at my house and one of my faves! It’s easy to make, it’s tasty and the veggie is high in vitamin A and C.  I definitely recommend trying this dish out if you’re looking to switch up your usual lunch or dinner menu!

About Chinese Watercress

Watercress in Chinese is Xi Yang Cai or 西洋菜.  Which actually directly translates to “Western Vegetable” (mandarin Chinese).

Why?  Because around the 1930s, a Chinese man visited Portugal to do business, when he came back to his home in Guangzhou, he brought some watercress seeds with him. It became  popular, often stir fried or cooked in soups.  Since it was from a western country, everyone called it “western vegetable”.  There’s also some crazy legend about how that Chinese business man actually fell super ill and nothing cured him until he started eating this veggie… I don’t know how much of that is true…

TL;DR version:  Because it came from the Western world.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • 2 bunches watercress, trimmed and rinsed
  • Salt, as desired

Instructions

You can slice the garlic, but I like to take the cloves and just mash it with a big knife.  

Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat.  

Add garlic and saute for a minute.  

Add watercress and cover for a about a minute.  

Uncover, add salt, and cook stirring constantly for about few minutes until it is fully cooked.

Serve!

Chinese Watercress Stir Fry
Chinese Watercress Stir Fry

Looking for more easy stir fry veggie recipes similar to this Chinese Watercress With Garlic Stir Fry?  Check out this Stir Fry Cabbage with Sichuan Peppercorn recipe!

Chinese Watercress With Garlic Stir Fry 西洋菜

Chinese Watercress With Garlic Stir Fry 西洋菜

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 bunches watercress, trimmed and rinsed
  • Salt, as desired

Instructions

You can slice the garlic, but I like to take the cloves and just mash it with a big knife.  Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for a minute.  Add watercress and cover for a about a minute.  Uncover, add salt, and cook stirring constantly for about few minutes until it is fully cooked.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 155mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

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Chinese Watercress Stir Fry

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Kari - Get Inspired Everyday!

Monday 23rd of April 2018

I love background food history even if some of it might not be true, and this side dish looks so good and easy to make!

Katja

Sunday 22nd of April 2018

I've never cooked watercress before. Can't wait to try it.

Vanessa Davis

Sunday 22nd of April 2018

What a tasty and simple veggie side dish!

STACEY CRAWFORD

Sunday 22nd of April 2018

I've never made watercress before. Looks easy and tasty!

ChihYu

Thursday 19th of April 2018

My type of stir-fry veggies ! YUMMY !

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