Stir-fried water spinach is a common Asian vegetable dish, known by various names in Asian languages. Water spinach ('' Ipomoea aquatica'') is stir-fried with a variety of vegetables, spices, and sometimes meats. It is commonly found throughout East, South and Southeast Asia; from Sichuan 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 Maca ...

in China, to Indonesian,

Burmese Burmese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia * Burmese people * Burmese language * Burmese alphabet * Burmese cuisine * Burmese culture Animals * Burmese cat * Burmese chicken * Burmese (hor ...

, Cambodian, Filipino,

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regar ...

, Singaporean, and Vietnamese cuisine in Southeast Asia; to Sri Lankan cuisine and Bengali cuisine 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

, ''kankun mallung'' 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 might be added for flavour. Other recipes might add diced tofu.

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, fish sauce,

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 ''Asp ...

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 thick ...

, or in spicy chili pepper, '' tauco'' (fermented soybean paste), shrimp paste 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 seasoning; with versions that also use shrimp paste, fish sauce, or fermented fish. 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 '' tauco'' 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 shrimp paste (''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. In the Philippines, the shrimp paste can also be replaced with '' bagoong isda'' (fermented fish) or '' patis'' (fish sauce) and is commonly served with deep-fried pork belly (''

lechon kawali ''Lechon kawali'', also known as ''lechon de carajay'' or ''litsong kawali'' in Tagalog, is a Filipino recipe consisting of pork belly slabs deep-fried in a pan or wok (''kawali''). It is seasoned beforehand, cooked then served in cubes. It ...

'').

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