October 23, 2022

Spicy Minced Watercress Salad 爆淹西洋菜

Spicy, Minced, Watercress, Salad, chilled, recipe, vegetable,  爆淹西洋菜, chinese

 A most interesting fact: the humble watercress is one of the oldest leaf vegetable consumed by humankind!  I love food facts like that, they really do tickle the imagination, allowing the mind to travel far into the past to marvel at the simple things that connect us across the dunes of time.

We mostly use watercress to make soup as it imparts a lovely flavor.  Stir frying with a touch of garlic is also a nice way to have watercress.  Recently I read about another way to prepare watercress that I have been most eager to try.  This easy to prepare refreshing Spicy Minced Watercress Salad  爆淹西洋菜 is deliciously crisp and slightly peppery with a hint of sesame.
 
Spicy, Minced, Watercress, Salad, chilled, recipe, vegetable,  爆淹西洋菜, chinese

Our lovely bunch of fresh watercress is grown in the New Territory areas of Hong Kong.  It is one of the few crops that are still cultivated in the mostly urbanized HK.  Check out our video of the watercress lady, filmed by my hubby when he bought freshly picked watercress straight from her fields!


Watercress has worn a lot of hats throughout ancient times.  It was believed at various times to cure mental illness, fever, kidney illnesses, constipation, prevent baldness and increase vigor.  It was even considered an aphrodisiac!  Nowadays watercress is experiencing a revival as the new superfood as it is packed with so much nutritional goodness that it is the equivalent of taking a multivitamin.

When buying watercress you should look for bright green perky leaves and slim fresh stems.  The slim stems will indicate younger watercress which is preferable for this dish as the more mature watercress will have a touch of bitterness.

Spicy, Minced, Watercress, Salad, chilled, recipe, vegetable,  爆淹西洋菜, chinese

The reason I was so eager to try out this way of preparation was because it promised to keep the lovely crispness of the raw watercress.  You know, the lovely crunch of salad leaves and all that.

So on to the method.  The first step is to mince the watercress.  Easy peasy.

Spicy, Minced, Watercress, Salad, chilled, recipe, vegetable,  爆淹西洋菜, chinese

The next step is to macerate the minced watercress with salt.  Mix salt in and then let sit for a rest.  The salt will draw the juice from the watercress as well as slightly softening the vegetable, allowing the salt to penetrate through.

Spicy, Minced, Watercress, Salad, chilled, recipe, vegetable,  爆淹西洋菜, chinese

The next step is the fun part: you get to use your hands to squeeze the juice out of the watercress.  Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze and we’re almost there.

The last step is a quick pass through heat to slightly cook the watercress.  At this point you could add aromatics like a bit of chopped garlic or a chopped chili.  Flash these in the hot oil before adding the minced watercress in.  Stir and fold the watercress for a minute, add in a final dash of sesame oil and it’s done.  Let it cool and then chill the fridge.

Crisp, slightly peppery and fragrant chilled watercress salad, Chinese style.  My favorite kind of delicious and healthy!

Spicy, Minced, Watercress, Salad, chilled, recipe, vegetable,  爆淹西洋菜, chinese

Chilled Watercress Salad Recipe
Prep time: 35 mins   Cook time: 1 min

Ingredients:

  • 1 big bunch watercress
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp oil
  • 1 chili, chopped
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

Wash watercress and shake dry.  Chop roots off if any.  Mince both leaves and stems.

Place minced watercress in bowl and add salt.  Toss to mix well.  Let sit for 30 mins to macerate.

Use hands to squeeze the juice out of watercress.

Heat wok over high heat.  Add oil to hot wok.  Add in chopped chili and stir for 10 secs.  Add in minced watercress and stir fry for 1 minute.  Add in sesame and give it a final stir before turning off the heat.

Let cool to room temp and then let chill in the fridge until ready to serve.  Enjoy!

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4 comments:

  1. yum! this sounds great. when I was a child, my father taught me how to find watercress in streams (in the cool areas where the water is running fast). now I just find it at the grocery store. but I've always loved it. this sounds excellent, as do all your recipes!

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  2. Hi Diane- I've read in stories about how folk could pick watercress in rivers and I can't believe you've done that. Super cool! Did those stream picked watercress taste better than the grocery store watercress? ~ellen

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    Replies
    1. hi Ellen! I was probably 7 or 8 years old and it was the first watercress I'd ever had -- so to me, it was perfect! I'll have to find some again and taste it, but I remember it being peppery and delicious!

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