Delicious and Easy Warm Chinese Watercress Salad

"This is sooo easy and sooo delish! I picked it up years ago while in college from a meatless chinese cookbook by Stella Lau-Fessler, and made a few changes.

• Ready In: 16 mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2  bunches watercress, washed thoroughly, tough stems removed, and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 1⁄2-2  tablespoons  oil, i prefer peanut oil and use 1 & 1/2 tbs to cut the calories
• 1  teaspoon  crushed garlic
• 1  tablespoon  good fish sauce, I like Golden Boy, don't skimp on the quality
• 1⁄8 teaspoon sugar
•  squeeze lime juice (optional, my addition)

Directions

1. Place crushed garlic in a bowl that can with stand high heat. In a wok, heat the oil until just smoking. Quickly pour heated oil over the garlic and stir, releasing the fragrance and developing the flavor. Stir in the fish sauce and sugar until well blended.
2. In the same wok you heated the oil bring 5 or 6 cups of water to a boil over a high flame. Drop in the cress and stir, blanching for about 30 seconds.
3. Drain blanched cress thoroughly. Combine with oil/garlic/fish sauce/sugar mixture. I like just a squeeze of lime to really bring together the dish. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Chilling dulls the flavors.) It pairs sublimely with Japanese short grain rice- my favorite being Kokuho Rose Sushi Rice.