-
1
Blanch broccoli and cauliflower separately in well-salted boiling water for 2 minutes each, so that each vegetable cooks at its own pace without the denser cauliflower robbing heat from the broccoli. Transfer immediately to cold water to stop the carry-over cooking that would otherwise push them past the correct texture, then drain thoroughly and set aside. The florets must be just yielding to a fingernail but carry no flaccidity — they will cook further in the wok.
-
2
Bring the wok to maximum heat until a drop of water vaporises on contact, so the oil smokes almost at once and the vegetables sear rather than steam when they go in. Add the oil and swirl to coat, then add the sliced garlic and toss for 10 seconds, until the edges begin to colour and the raw garlic smell sharpens to a toasted note.
-
3
Add the baby corn and blanched broccoli and cauliflower, and toss continuously for 1 minute so that every cut surface passes through the hottest part of the wok and picks up colour rather than stewing in its own moisture. The vegetables must be bright in colour and just beginning to show char at the edges; they should hiss loudly and persistently against the wok surface throughout.
-
4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Add the mushrooms and long beans and toss for 1 minute. Before proceeding, assess each vegetable individually: the broccoli and cauliflower must be tender but structurally intact, the mushrooms just collapsed and glistening, the long beans bright green and yielding without limpness — because a single element that has crossed into overcooking cannot be corrected, the remaining vegetables must be added only when every element present has reached correct doneness simultaneously.
-
5
Add the bean sprouts and water spinach or spinach, keeping them apart from the hotter base of the wok for the first few seconds so the delicate leaves wilt in the rising steam rather than scorch on direct contact. For water spinach, add the stems first, toss for 15 seconds, then add the leaves; for spinach or bean sprouts, add directly and toss for 30–45 seconds. The leaves must be just wilted and the sprouts translucent at the root end but not collapsed.
-
6
Pour in the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and fish sauce, and toss for 20 seconds so the heat drives off the raw edge of the fish sauce and the three together reduce to a glaze that clings to every surface rather than pooling at the bottom of the wok. Taste: the seasoning should be savoury and rounded, the fish sauce present but not dominant.
-
7
Transfer immediately to a serving plate, as the dish does not hold and residual wok heat continues to cook the vegetables. The surface should carry a faint sheen from the glaze and no standing liquid should collect on the plate.