Saturday, December 20, 2008

Kang Kong :Water Convolvulus




This is a very popular dish in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. In Mandarin, it is called TOONG XIN CAI, meaning empty heart or empty stem veg

In Thailand, they call it Morning Glory or pak bung,

In Vietnam it is rau muong.

In Indonesia, it is an essential ingredient for their salad, Gado=Gado.

They are cooked in various ways,

Boiled and usueally accompanying a boiled squid and eaten with a chilli peanut sauce.

Cooked in a shrimp paste with chilli : kangkong belachan.

Or for those who can't stomach then very fragrant smell of the belachan, fried with garlic.

For me, I use my basic ingredient of garlic, onion, garlic and chilli flacks. Make sure you cook them quickly, or they will brown.

***This is a summer plant, I experimented growing them from the stems which was how the parents grew them, Most farmers grow them from seeds. At most, I get one crop. In fact, it is only for fun, because during the summer, the Chinese Grocery stores sell them very cheaply.***

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