Pad pak boong fai daeng

Name: Pad pak boong fai daeng
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: 400 g water spinach, cut into 8 cm lengths; 5 cloves garlic, lightly crushed; 3 fresh red chilli, bruised; 1½ tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tsp soy sauce; 1 tsp fish sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 3 tbsp water; 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil

Non-vegetarian

ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง · phat phak bung fai daeng

Water spinach flash-fried over roaring heat with garlic, chilli and oyster sauce — 'red fire' morning glory, glossy and still crunchy.

Pad pak boong fai daeng is a Thai side dish from Thailand, ready in about 8 minutes and made with water spinach and oyster sauce. It serves 3 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Stir-fried morning glory with garlic and red chilli on a glass plate — Photo: Takeaway / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 3 min
Total: 8 min
Serves: 3
Level: Easy
Calories: 129

Ingredients

3 servings

400 g Water spinach (opens in a new tab), cut into 8 cm lengthsSwap: Spinach
5 cloves (20 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), lightly crushed
3 (18 g) Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), bruised
1½ tbsp (27 g) Oyster sauce (opens in a new tab)Swap: Soy sauce (Use mushroom-based 'oyster' sauce or soy for a plant-based version.)Contains molluscs, wheat, gluten
1 tsp (5.5 g) Soy sauce (opens in a new tab)Contains soy, wheat, gluten
1 tsp (6 g) Fish sauce (opens in a new tab)Contains fish
1 tsp (4 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
3 tbsp (44 g) Water (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (27 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Wok (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Put the water spinach (opens in a new tab) in a bowl with the garlic (opens in a new tab), chillies, oyster sauce (opens in a new tab), soy, fish sauce (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and water.
- 2 min
2
Step 2
Heat the oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) until smoking, tip in everything at once and toss over the highest heat until just wilted, about 1 minute.
- 2 min
- high heat
- Wok (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: The oil may flare when the wet greens go in — stand back.
How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels
3
Step 3
Serve immediately.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Thailand · Commonly attributedMore food from Thailand
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method: Stir-fried
Taste: garlicky, umami, salty, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet: Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly · One-pan · Minimal cleanup
Cook more with: Water spinach · Oyster sauce · Garlic · Fresh red chilli · Soy sauce · Fish sauce
Techniques: Stir-frying

Allergens

Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
May contain: Crustaceansfrom oyster sauce, fish sauce
Contains, can be adapted: Molluscsfrom oyster sauce
Contains: Wheatfrom oyster sauce, soy sauce
Contains: Glutenfrom oyster sauce, soy sauce
Contains: Soyfrom oyster sauce, soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

129 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 184 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

Protein 13%
Carbohydrate 27%
Fat 61%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	129 kcal	70 kcal
Protein	4.4 g	2.4 g
Carbohydrate	9.4 g	5.1 g
Net carbohydrate	6.4 g	3.5 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	—	—
Fibre	3.1 g	1.7 g
Fat	9.4 g	5.1 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	654 mg	355 mg
Salt equivalent	1.6 g	0.9 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 481 mg
Calcium: 121 mg
Iron: 2.5 mg
Magnesium: 103 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 423 µg
Vitamin C: 84 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 80 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Only cook as much as your wok can take in one go; crowding makes it stew.

Common mistakes

Cooking too long — the stems should stay crisp.

Serve with

Serve with rice and an omelette (khai jiao).

Storage

Best eaten immediately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Water spinach, cut into 8 cm lengths400 g
Fresh red chilli, bruised3 piece · 18 g

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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