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!

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

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.