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

Ipomoea aquatica ''Ipomoea aquatica'', commonly known as water spinach or kangkung, 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 wi ...

'') is

stir-fried Stir frying ( zh, c= 炒, p=chǎo, w=ch'ao3, cy=cháau) is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries ...

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

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

and

Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( zh, t=廣東菜 or zh, labels=no, t=粵菜), is the cuisine of Cantonese people, associated with the Guangdong, Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guan ...

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

Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...

, Taiwanese, and

Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages originated from Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes (): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and Piquant, spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish reflects one or more ...

; 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 is the culinary style of Bengal, that comprises Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, and Assam's Karimganj district. The cuisine has been shaped by the region's diverse history of Bengal, history and climate. It is k ...

in South Asia.

Dish names

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 (), 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 every meal. Meals are often se ...

'' in Sri Lanka; ''kolmi shak bhaja'' in Bangladesh and eastern India. * * zh, c=炒空心菜, p=chǎo kōngxīncài * , * * * * , * ; zh, poj=chhá èng-chhài * , * * * ; zh, j=caau2 tung1 coi3

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 African, East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dish ...

might be added for flavour. Other recipes might add diced

tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...

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 (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

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, L ...

soy sauce Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...

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, thi ...

, or in spicy chili pepper, '' tauco'' (fermented soybean paste),

shrimp paste Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a Fermentation, fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian and Coastal Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed Shrimp and prawn as food, shrimp or krill mixed ...

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 : "marinade", "sauce" or "seasoning" / ) is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine. In its base form, meat, seafood, or vegetables are first browned in oil, and then marinated and simmered ...

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 (), or simply ''Orang Tionghoa'' or ''Tionghoa'', are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese Indonesians are the fourth largest community of Overseas Chinese in th ...

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 neighb ...

, 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 Southeast Asian countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. The terms Island Southeast Asia and Insular Southeast Asia are sometimes given the same meaning as ...

. 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'').

References

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

Dish names

Cooking method

Seasonings and variations

Water spinach with shrimp paste

See also

References