Stir-fried White Water Snowflake

A distinctively Taiwanese treat, these slender, crunchy green stems from the aquatic plant known as white water snowflake (Nymphoides hydrophylla - aka crested floatingheart, or 水蓮 in Chinese) are stir-fried with a light and aromatic sauce, and salty-sour pickled fragrant manjack fruits.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese, Chinese (Taiwanese), Taiwanese

Keyword authentic, po buzi, stir-fry, white water snowflake, 炒水蓮, 破布子

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 58kcal

Ingredients

350 g white water snowflake stems (水蓮) (see note)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
10 g ginger thinly sliced
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 tsp light soy sauce
pinch salt or to taste
2 tbsp pickled Cordia fruit (破布子) (see note)
1 tbsp liquid from Cordia fruit pickles
crushed red chilies (optional)

Instructions

Wash and thoroughly drain the stems, then cut them into ~3 inch (7.5 cm) pieces.
Heat wok over very high heat. Add the oil and let it heat up until shimmering and nearly smoking.
Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 10 seconds, or until garlic is just turning brown and crispy.
Add the white water snowflake stems to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until darker, somewhat softened, and jade-green.
Add rice wine, soy sauce, and salt. Stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds or so, then remove the vegetables from the wok immediately.
Add the pickled Cordia fruit and the pickling liquid. Serve immediately, garnished with a bit of crushed red chili if desired.

Notes

White water snowflake is admittedly a pretty obscure ingredient, but if you're reading this recipe there's a decent chance you know that already. It's mostly harvested for eating in southern Taiwan, and a portion is exported seasonally in the early summer. It's also become something of a pest in parts of the world (e.g. Florida), so if you're an experienced forager you might actually be able to source wild plants yourself. NOTE: always ensure that you're 100% confident about the identity, cleanliness, and safety of a wild food before eating it! If you can't find white water snowflake, this basic recipe works brillianty for any crisp green vegetable. Try thinly sliced celery stalks, yam leaves, or ong choy.

Pickled Cordia fruit, also called Fragrant Manjack fruit, can be found at well-stocked Chinese grocery stores (especially if you happen to have a Taiwanese grocery store in town). If you can't find it, you can omit it from the dish - simply substitute about 1 tsp of rice vinegar, 1 tsp of light soy sauce, and a pinch of sugar for the missing pickling liquid.

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