We wanted to feature this Chinese spinach amaranth vegetable on the blog today, because it’s popping up all over the market, and it’s really just a gorgeous, healthy green that you should try if you haven’t already!
It’s called “amaranth”, “amaranth greens” or sometimes “Chinese spinach,” and comes in both green and purplish-pink colors.
The flavor of the two varieties is largely the same, but the pink veggies lend a bit of drama to the dinner table. Find it at your local Asian grocery store.
Just cook with a little garlic, oil and salt. You can also try the method we use in this stir-fried snow pea leaves recipe, or you can go the fermented tofu route we used in this water spinach recipe.
But like many of the leafy greens eaten across Asia, most don’t need more embellishment than salt and garlic. Look for young, tender leaves with thin stems. Don’t pick any with flowers, since these are older, tougher vegetables that should generally be avoided.
Recipe Instructions
Heat the wok until smoking. Add the oil and swirl it around. Quickly add the garlic and the Chinese Amaranth greens, and stir constantly. After a minute, add salt, sugar and sesame oil stir until just wilted.
Be liberal with your salt to really bring out the flavor of the vegetables, and add some sugar to balance the saltiness.
This should get you fairly close to restaurant quality without adding any MSG.
Pile the vegetables up in a small mound at the center of the wok. This allows the sides to heat up (the higher the heat, the better they’ll taste!). Put the lid on the wok and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid, stir briefly, and serve!
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Recipe
Stir-fried Pink Amaranth Greens
Ingredients
- 1 pound amaranth (washed thoroughly and rough ends trimmed)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the wok until smoking. Add the oil and swirl it around. Quickly add the garlic and the veggies and stir constantly.
- After a minute, add salt, sugar and sesame oil stir until just wilted.
- Be liberal with your salt to really bring out the flavor of the greens and add some sugar to balance the saltiness. This should get you fairly close to restaurant quality without adding any MSG.
- Pile the vegetables up in a small mound at the center of the wok. This allows the sides to heat up (the higher the heat, the better they’ll taste!). Put the lid on the wok and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid, stir briefly, and serve!
