This Malaysian spinach stir-fry is cooked quickly over high heat with garlic and sambal belacan. The leaves wilt but keep their color; lime juice brightens the salty, spicy flavor.
Bayam means spinach in Malay, and tumis refers to stir-frying or briefly frying. This side dish puts the vegetable center stage: a generous amount of fresh spinach is quickly cooked in a hot pan, with garlic and sambal belacan for flavor. Belacan is fermented shrimp paste; in sambal belacan, it adds a pronounced salty, savory depth alongside the chili. The lime juice added at the end provides a fresh, tart counterpoint.
Spinach is available year-round in the Netherlands, with a plentiful supply of field-grown spinach in spring and early summer. Regular spinach with somewhat firmer stems works well; if the stems are thick, cut them shorter so they cook at the same time as the leaves. Baby spinach works too, but wilts faster and is often more tender. Wash the leaves and drain them well: excess water cools the pan and makes the finished dish wetter.
A wok is handy, but a wide frying pan works just as well. The pan needs to be hot before the spinach goes in. First, briefly fry the garlic and sambal in oil so they release their aroma; don't let the garlic brown, or it can taste bitter. Add the spinach in batches if the pan is full. This helps the vegetable quickly make contact with the hot surface and wilt without stewing for long. Stop cooking as soon as the leaves are just tender.
Sambal belacan varies in heat and saltiness from brand to brand. Start with the modest amount in the recipe and taste after adding the lime to see if it needs more salt. Can't find sambal belacan? Sambal oelek with a little shrimp paste comes close; sambal oelek with a few drops of fish sauce is a practical alternative, but has a different flavor. Add these substitutes carefully, as fish sauce and shrimp paste are salty.
Serve the bayam tumis straight away, for example alongside steamed rice and fried fish or chicken. The dish also works as part of a meal with several vegetable dishes; in that case, bring it to the table shortly before eating so the leaves retain their color and bite. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container within two hours and eat them within three days. Reheat them thoroughly once in a hot pan; the spinach will be softer than when freshly cooked.
Wash the spinach and drain well. Cut any thick stems shorter.
Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic and sambal belacan and fry for about 20 seconds, until fragrant; don't let the garlic brown.
Add the spinach in a few batches, tossing each time until the leaves start to wilt. Continue cooking briefly, until everything is just tender but still retains its color.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice, and serve straight away.
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