Pad Pak Boong — Stir-Fried Water Spinach
This Thai morning glory recipe shows how to stir-fry water spinach the Thai way — pad pak boong — with garlic, chilli, soy sauce and fermented soybean paste in a fiercely hot wok. One serving is about 240 g, a generous plate of glossy green stems and leaves.
Morning glory — water spinach, Ipomoea aquatica — grows in the canals and paddies of Thailand, and pad pak boong, its quick wok-fried form, is one of the most common dishes in Thai home cooking and street stalls. The classic version, phak bung fai daeng or 'red-fire morning glory', is tossed for barely a minute over fierce heat with garlic, chilli and fermented soybean paste, so the hollow stems stay crisp while the leaves just wilt.
Pairs well with: Steamed jasmine rice, grilled chicken and a cold drink
Provenance
Thailand
Thai Home Cooking
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
15m
10m prep • 5m cook
Batch Yield
2 Servings
150 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 240 g
Technical Skill
Easy
Easy (One Wok)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Prime Metabolic Fit
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Thai Home Cooking
Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $1–2 per serving at home (USD)
Cooked fast over very high heat so the stems stay crisp and the leaves just wilt.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Cut the Greens and Mix the Sauce
10 Mins • Knife Work
Wash and cut the water spinach into 8 cm lengths, chop the garlic and slice the chillies, then stir the mushroom oyster sauce, soy sauce, fermented soybean paste, sugar and water together in a small bowl. Everything must be ready before the wok gets hot — this dish cooks in about two minutes.
Maestro Tip: Mix the sauce first: once the wok is smoking there is no time to measure anything.
10 Mins Room temperature, 20°C (68°F)
Wash the water spinach, cut it into 8 cm lengths and shake off the water. Chop the garlic, slice the chillies, and stir the mushroom oyster sauce, soy sauce, fermented soybean paste, sugar and water in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves.
Shake the greens dry — water in the wok cools it down and steams the stems instead of searing them.
Done when: Greens are cut and dry; the sauce is mixed and by the stove.
2 Mins High heat, about 200°C (392°F)
Put the wok over the highest heat, add the oil and swirl it around. Wait until the oil just begins to smoke — the wok must be fiercely hot before anything goes in.
If the oil is not smoking, the greens will stew instead of fry. Be patient for these two minutes.
Done when: A wisp of smoke rises from the oil and it shimmers across the wok.
2 Mins High heat, about 200°C (392°F)
Add the garlic and chilli and stir for about 15 seconds until fragrant and just starting to colour. Tip in all the water spinach at once and toss constantly, then pour the sauce over and keep tossing for 1–2 minutes until the leaves wilt and the stems turn bright green.
Keep everything moving — the stems at the bottom of the wok cook fastest, so toss from the bottom up.
Done when: Leaves are wilted, stems are bright green and still crisp when you bite one.
1 Min Hot, about 70°C (158°F)
Tip the greens onto a serving plate the moment they are done, scraping all the sauce over the top. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice — the stems soften if the dish sits.
Serve straight from the wok to the table; this dish waits for no one.
Done when: The plate is glossy with sauce and the greens are still vivid green.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Tip the morning glory onto a plate the moment the stems turn bright green — a minute too long and the crunch is gone.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
150
kcal / serving
Protein
7g
Complete AA
Carbs
15g
Complex
Fats
8g
Healthy
| Energy | 150 kcal |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Fibre | 4.9 g |
| Sugar | 4.2 g |
| Sodium | 1057 mg |
| Energy | 63 kcal |
| Protein | 3.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6.2 g |
| Fat | 3.5 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1.7 g |
| Sodium | 440 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A and C (water spinach, chilli), vitamin K (water spinach), iron and calcium (water spinach, soybean paste).
Green and Light
Water spinach is mostly water and fibre, so a whole plate of this Thai morning glory recipe is light — about 150 kcal a serving — yet genuinely filling.
Quick Energy, No Heaviness
A fast wok fry with just a spoon of oil keeps the dish light, so it works as a bright side that never weighs the meal down.
Vitamins from the Greens
Water spinach brings vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, and the brief cooking keeps more of them in the leaves than a long simmer would.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Steamed Jasmine Rice
The greens are salty and savoury, so plain jasmine rice is the perfect foil — it soaks up the sauce and balances the salt.
Grilled Chicken
Smoky grilled chicken next to the garlicky greens gives the meal the protein it lacks and turns a side into a full lunch.
Drinks
Iced Tea or Coconut Water
Something cold and unsweetened cools the chilli heat without fighting the garlic and soybean flavours.
Full Menus
With Tom Yum Soup
A sour-spicy tom yum before the greens makes a classic Thai pairing — hot soup, then crisp stir-fried vegetables with rice.
Complete menu
Serve the morning glory with steamed jasmine rice and grilled chicken or fish, and finish with fresh fruit.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Overcooking the Stems
Water spinach stems go limp and grey-green if they cook more than a couple of minutes, and the dish loses the crunch that defines it — pull the wok off the heat while the stems still bite. This is general guidance, not medical advice.
Too Much Sauce
Drowning the greens in soy sauce or oyster sauce makes the dish very salty and soggy — the sauce should just coat the leaves, not pool on the plate.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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