Stir-fried water spinach is a common Asian vegetable dish, known by various names in Asian languages. Water spinach (''

Ipomoea aquatica ''Ipomoea aquatica'', widely known as water spinach, is a semi- aquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots. ''I. aquatica'' is generally believed to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is widely cultivate ...

'') is stir-fried with a variety of vegetables, spices, and sometimes meats. It is commonly found throughout East, South and Southeast Asia; from

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

and

Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( or ) is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Macau.H ...

in China, to Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian, Filipino, Malaysian,

Singaporean Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Ind ...

, and

Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes ( vi, ngũ vị, links=no, label=none): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish refle ...

in Southeast Asia; to

Sri Lankan cuisine Sri Lankan cuisine is known for its particular combinations of herbs, spices, fish, vegetables, rices, and fruits. The cuisine is highly centered around many varieties of rice, as well as coconut which is a ubiquitous plant throughout the count ...

and

Bengali cuisine Bengali cuisine ( bn, বাঙ্গালী রন্ধনপ্রণালী) is the culinary style of Bengal, a region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent encompassing Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura ...

in South Asia.

Dish names

* my, ကန်စွန်းရွက်ကြော်, găzun ywet kyaw * zh, c=炒空心菜, p=chǎo kōngxīncài * id, kangkung tumis, * jv, osèng kangkung * km, ឆាត្រកួន, chaa trakuon * lo, ຂົ້ວຜັກບົ້ງ, khūa phak bong * ms, kangkung goreng * nan, 炒蕹菜; zh, poj=chhá èng-chhài * tl, ginisang kangkong, * th, ผัดผักบุ้ง, phat phak bung * vi, rau muống xào * yue, 炒通菜; zh, j=caau2 tung1 coi3 The dish is known by many names including ''tumis kangkung'' or ''cah kangkung'' in Indonesia; ''kangkong goreng'' in Malaysia; ''ginisang kangkóng'' or ''adobong kangkóng'' in the Philippines; ''pad pakboong'' (ผัดผักบุ้ง) in Thai; ''rau muống xào'' in Vietnam; stir fry ''kong xin cai'' (空心菜) in Mandarin (China); stir fry ''tung choy'' or ''ong choy'' (通菜) in Cantonese (China); ''khteah tuk chien cha'' (ខ្ទះទឹកចៀនឆា) in Khmer (Cambodia); ''gazun ywet kyaw'' (ကန်စွန်းရွက်ကြော် ) in Burmese, ''kankun

mallung Mallung or mallum ( si, මැල්ලුම්), is a shredded vegetable Sri Lankan dish that comprises lightly cooked/sautéed greens, with fresh coconut and any number of spices and chili. Mallung is a common condiment and is eaten at almost ev ...

'' in Sri Lanka; ''kolmi shak bhaja'' in Bangladesh and eastern India.

Cooking method

Stir-fried water spinach is one of the simplest, easiest, and also cheapest vegetable dishes in Asia, which contributes to its popularity. Water spinach thrives in the waterways, rivers, lakes and swamps of tropical Southeast Asia and Southern China. The garlic and shallots or onion are stir-fried in cooking oil, then the cleaned and cut water spinach are added, stir-fried in a wok on a strong fire with a small amount of cooking oil. The stir-frying lightly caramelises the vegetables. The seasoning sauce is added according to each preference and recipe. Some might add slices of red hot chili pepper for spicy tanginess, while fresh or

dried shrimp Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun-dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes. The fla ...

might be added for flavour. Other recipes might add diced

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...

Seasonings and variations

The stir-fried water spinach might vary according to its seasonings. A stir-fried water spinach could be lightly seasoned in garlic,

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao ...

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...

oyster sauce Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts,The Times, 22 January 1981; ''Cook Accidentally on purpose'' sugar, salt and water thic ...

, or in spicy chili pepper, ''

tauco Tauco, Taucu, Taotjo or Tauchu () is a paste made from preserved fermented yellow soybeans in Chinese Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines. Tauco is made by boiling yellow soybeans, grinding them, mixing them with flour and fermenting them in orde ...

'' (fermented soybean paste),

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp or krill mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks. They are ei ...

or other sauce. The Vietnamese version use either fish sauce or oyster sauce for seasoning, while the Indonesian and Malaysian version seems to favour shrimp paste. The Filipino version often uses a soy sauce-vinegar seasoning mix, reminiscent of the

Philippine adobo Philippine ''adobo'' (from Spanish ''adobar'': "marinade," "sauce" or "seasoning" / ) is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay ...

seasoning; with versions that also use shrimp paste, fish sauce, or

fermented fish Fermented fish is a traditional preservation of fish. Before refrigeration, canning and other modern preservation techniques became available, fermenting was an important preservation method. Fish rapidly spoils, or goes rotten, unless some method ...

. The Southern Chinese recipe might favour oyster sauce or fermented tofu (腐乳) seasoning. In West Java, the

Chinese Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have ...

version however, favours the use of ''

'' fermented soybeans paste as seasoning. In

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine () encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with ne ...

, stir-fried water spinach is typically fried with diced mushrooms, garlic, onions, and fresh chilies, and seasoned with oyster sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil, and salt.

Water spinach with shrimp paste

A specific preparation of water spinach stir-fried with

(''belacan'' in Malay; ''terasi'' in Indonesian; and '' bagoong alamang'' in Filipino) is called ''kangkung belacan'' or ''kangkong belacan'' in Malaysia and Singapore, ''cah kangkung terasi'' in Indonesia, and ''binagoongang kangkóng'' in the Philippines. It is a popular vegetable dish in

Maritime Southeast Asia Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. Maritime Southeast Asia is sometimes also referred to as Island Southeast Asia, Insular Southeast Asia or Oceanic Sout ...

. In the Philippines, the shrimp paste can also be replaced with ''

bagoong isda ''Bagoóng'' (; ) is a Philippine condiment partially or completely made of either fermented fish (''bagoóng'') or krill or shrimp paste (''alamáng'') with salt. The fermentation process also produces fish sauce known as ''patís''. The pr ...

'' (fermented fish) or '' patis'' (fish sauce) and is commonly served with deep-fried pork belly ('' lechon kawali'').

References

{{Salads Malaysian cuisine Salads Vegetarian dishes of Indonesia Vegetarian dishes of the Philippines Vegetable dishes of Indonesia Fried foods

Dish names

Cooking method

Seasonings and variations

Water spinach with shrimp paste

See also

References