Water Lily Stir Fry

Some call it “water lily” or “on choy” but in Thailand and Laos, this green vegetable is called “puk bonge”. Purchase the water lily vegetable at most Asian supermarkets.

Most Thai and Lao people will eat water lilies raw with spicy dishes like the green green papaya salad, lap Lao beef and lap chicken because it cools the tongue. I prefer it raw myself but here is a stir fry recipe given to me from my aunt “Ba Von”.

Stir Fry Recipe: Water Lily
1 tablespoon oil
¼ cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 inch of ginger and sliced thinly
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce or hoisin sauce

Cut 2 inches off the bottom stem and discard. Wash water lily in cold water thoroughly and remove any damaged leaves. Drain excess water. In a small bowl, mix shrimp paste, fish sauce, and oyster/hoisin sauce. Cut the washed water lily 4 inches in length and separate the large stems from the smaller stems. In a wok over high heat, add oil, garlic, onions and ginger. Stir fry until onions are tender. Add the thick stems and stir fry for about 2 minutes, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium. After 2 minutes, remove lid and add the tender stems and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Turn heat off and add sauce. Mix sauce with water lily stir fry and serve immediately.

Serve water lily stir fry with sticky rice or jasmine rice.