Non-oily and Healthier way of Frying Vegetables

Chinese way of stir frying vegetables are usually done with high heat and stir fried in a short time in a wok to retain its crisp.  However, this not only mess up the kitchen with oily walls and cabinets, but also not health as oil are heated up to high temperatures. 

I am currently doing it this way using a stainless steel pot with a thick bottom (which helps to spread and even out heat, and most good steel pots are made with thick bottom, and they are heavy).  The size of the pot cannot be too big, just big enough for the uncook vegetables to fill to the rim when placed loosely into the pot (not pressed in). A shallow pot is preferred.

The method is almost like boiling the vegetables, as we heat the vegetables to boiling point.  But it is better than boiling as all the nutrients in the vegetable is retain in the pot, either in the vegetable or in the water, unlike boiling, the nutrients escape to the boiling water.

Note that depending on your pot and also the heating means, you may need to do some try and error to get it right.

Ingredients

1. Vegetables (Chye Sim, kai lan, spinach, 菜心，芥兰，菠菜，苋菜 , etc)
2. 1 or 2 clove of garlic
3. ½ table spoon olive oil
4. ¼ teaspoon salt.

Method

1. Soak vegetables for 30 mins (better if you have filtered water), to allow the vegetable to get hydrated. It also helps to get rid of some pesticides (but getting organic vegetable is still the best).  Wash and cut the vegetables. Leave it wet.
2. Peel and chop the garlic and set aside.
3. Wash the pot and keep it wet.  Cover it and heat it on stove with very low heat (the smallest burner and smallest setting you can get).  Wait for steam to appear, which means that the pot has reached a temperature slightly above boiling point. (it is important to use low heat, otherwise the pot is already overheated by the time you see the steam and react)
4. Open the cover allow the remaining of the wet surface to dry off, which you will hear sizzling sound of water evaporating.  Add in oil in the middle and add garlic onto the oil puddle.  Allow it to sizzle slightly for the aroma of garlic to be released. 
5. Put the vegetables (wet, if not, sprinkle some water on it), and cover and do not open.
6. Wait till steam started to gush out from the edge of the cover, indicating the inside is at boiling point.  Having very low heat ensures the entire pot inside is at this temperature and not just the bottom is hot.
7. Open the cover, and stir it around.  There should be some water left at the bottom.  Move the vegetables aside, and add the salt into the water and dissolved.  Once dissolved, stir all and mix the water with the vegetables.
8. Serve hot.