Water spinach seems to have more names than almost any other tropical vegetable: ong choy, kang kong, water convolvulus, water morning glory, and swamp cabbage.
This vegetable 空心菜 (kong xin cai) is related to the common morning glory which is a very common wild plant with purple, pink or white flowers. I used to see these purple flowers growing on fences. My parents told me that they can be eaten but we have never tried it.
It has long hollow stems. Leaves are long and pointed. The stems are crunchy and the leaves are mild tasting. It is rich in iron and vitamin A but lacks the bitterness of other iron-rich greens such as the spinach.
It is the quintessential southeast asian vegetable. It grows easily even under difficult conditions. It is cheap and is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine and can be seen in humble home-cooked dishes as well as in high class restaurant fare.
It is quite good for people with diabetes, and high cholesterol but not so great for people with low blood pressure and weak digestive systems.
Cleaning and Preparation
Photo source: clayirving at flickr
Pinch or cut the stems into roughly 2-inch pieces. The lower ends of the stems are quite tough and fibrous so they are mostly discarded.
Because the leaves are mild tasting, they are suitable in salads.
Kang Kong is great for quick-fry. The leaves turn yellow pretty fast so they should not be simmered.
If used in soups, add the leaves at the last moment before you turn off the heat.
I have 2 favourite ways of eating water spinach:
- Stir-fried with spicy sambal balachan (a type of fermented shrimp paste). This is probably a Malay dish but the Chinese are very taken by it and it is a very common dish in many Chinese restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia.
- Slightly blanched in soupy Niang Dou Fu
Some recipes
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