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Kangkung goreng
Garlic stir-fried water spinach
Water spinach flash-fried with garlic, chilli and fermented soybeans
Kangkung grows in wet ditches and paddy edges right across Malaysia, and every zi char stall and kopitiam kitchen has a pile waiting for the wok. Ordered beside rice and a curry at lunch, or as one of several shared plates at night, it arrives glossy, hollow stems still crunchy, leaves just collapsed. Hawkers often fry it with belacan; this version gets its savoury punch from garlic, shallots, red chilli and a spoon of fermented soybean paste (tauco) instead. It's done in under five minutes. Chef's tip: dry the washed greens thoroughly in a salad spinner, because wet leaves cool the wok and steam instead of sizzle.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz water spinach (kangkung)or spinach with stalks; cut into 8 cm lengths, stems and leaves kept apart
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlicsliced
- 3 shallotssliced
- 2 red chilliessliced at an angle
- 2 bird's eye chillies (optional)bruised
- 1 tbsp fermented soybean paste (tauco)or 1 tbsp yellow bean sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat a wok over a high heat until it just smokes, then swirl in 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Add 4 cloves garlic, 3 shallots, 2 red chillies and 2 bird's eye chillies and stir-fry for 30–40 seconds, until the garlic is pale gold and smells sweet; any browner and it turns bitter.
1 minStep 2: Add 1 tbsp fermented soybean paste (tauco) and fry for 20 seconds, pressing it into the oil so it sizzles and smells toasty.
Step 3: Tip in the 14 oz water spinach (kangkung) stems and toss for 1 minute over the highest heat. A common mistake is cramming the whole lot in at once: if your wok is small, cook in two batches so it fries rather than stews.
1 minStep 4: Add the leaves, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar and 2 tbsp water and toss for 1–2 minutes more, just until the leaves wilt and turn deep green while the stems still crunch.
2 minStep 5: Tip onto a plate straight away, with all the juices, and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kangkung goreng take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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