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1
Set the wok over the highest available flame and pre-heat it, empty, for 4–5 minutes until the first faint wisps of smoke drift across its surface, so the metal reaches a temperature that will sear rather than stew everything that touches it. Do not add oil yet.
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2
Add the lard or peanut oil and swirl to coat, then add the crushed garlic and bruised chillies immediately, before the oil has a chance to cool the wok, so their fragrance blooms in seconds rather than minutes. Stir once or twice — 5 seconds — the garlic will be fragrant but not yet coloured.
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3
Add the pak boong stems first and leave them undisturbed for a count of ten before adding the leaves, so the stems, which need longer, have a head start while the leaves go in with just enough time to wilt at the edges. This is where the dish lives or dies: toss the wok with a sharp upward motion to allow the oil to briefly contact the flame — the resulting flare produces the smoky, faintly charred note that defines fai daeng, and without it there is no red fire, only steamed morning glory. The total cook time from this point is 45–60 seconds.
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4
Add the tao jiew and oyster sauce directly onto the hottest part of the wok base as the vegetables fall back down, so the sauces catch on scorching metal and concentrate in an instant rather than stewing the greens. Toss once more to distribute — the leaves must be wilted and darkened at the edges, the stems must still resist the tooth; if the stems have gone limp, the dish is overcooked.
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5
Transfer immediately to a warmed plate, since pak boong continues to cook in its own residual heat and becomes unacceptably soft within two minutes of leaving the wok. Serve at once.