Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste and Chilies (Kangkung Belacan)
Water spinach (also called morning glory or hollow spinach) is a long tubular leafy green. Easily found at Asian markets, it is called kangkung (also kangkong) in Malay, rau muong in Vietnamese, and ong choy in Cantonese. This tasty dish recalls the earthy and aromatic flavors of Singapore and Malaysia.
Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 servings as part of a multicourse family-style meal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, rinsed
- Boiling water for soaking
- 1 pound water spinach
- 5 Asian shallots or ½ small yellow onion, coarsely chopped (⅓ cup)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 long, fresh red chilies, stemmed, seeded if desired, and coarsely chopped; or 1 tablespoon prepared chili paste
- 2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or more if needed
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Salt (optional; the shrimp paste is already salty, so add sparingly if at all)
Instructions
1 Soak the Dried Shrimp:
- In a small bowl, soak the dried shrimp in enough boiling water to cover until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the liquid.
2 Prepare the Water Spinach:
- Wash the water spinach in cold water and drain well. Trim off and discard the bottom 4 inches of the root ends which are usually very fibrous.
- Trim off and discard any tough, woody stems (the best way to find out is to bite into a stem—if it’s chewy, discard). Cut into thirds, separating the stems and leaves.
3 Make the Paste:
- Combine the dried shrimp, shallots, garlic, chilies, and dried shrimp paste in the work bowl of a 3- to 4-cup food processor and whirl into a thick, clumpy paste resembling cooked oatmeal, about 1 minute. Scrape unground bits down toward the blade as you go. Do not overprocess; confetti-sized bits of chili are fine.
4 Cook the Paste:
- In a large wok or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer. Drop in a little shrimp-chili paste; if it starts to sizzle cheerfully, the oil is ready.
- Add the rest of the paste. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the wok continuously to cook the paste evenly and prevent scorching. (When frying chilies, the volatile oils will permeate the air so it’s a good idea to have your vent on high and your windows open).
- If the paste absorbs all the oil and begins to stick to the wok, add more oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the paste starts moving easily around the wok again. If the paste starts to burn, pull the wok off the heat for a few seconds before continuing. Keep adjusting the heat as necessary.
- The paste is ready when its original pungent smell has mellowed to a pleasantly sweet fragrance with no trace of raw shallots or garlic. Visual clues to look out for: the cooked paste should be several shades darker than when raw and should separate from the oil.
5 Add the Water Spinach:
- Toss in the water spinach stems and stir to mix with the paste for about 30 seconds. Add the spinach leaves, sugar, and reserved dried shrimp liquid and raise the heat to medium-high.
- Stir the vegetables swiftly around the wok, sliding your spatula to the bottom of the wok and turning and tossing to coat with the seasonings, until the leaves are just wilted but still bright green and the stems are crisp, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Taste and add salt if desired.
6 Serve:
- Transfer to a large platter and serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.
Variations
Try asparagus, okra, spinach, long beans, green beans, sweet potato/yam leaf, or broccolini in this recipe.
