Spicy Water Spinach (Sambal Kangkong)

Method17 steps · about 25 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Dry-toast all 10 g belachan in a pan without oil until aromatic, then set it aside for the chilli paste.

   Uses 10 g belachan shrimp paste

2. 2

   Step 2: Wash and dry the fresh red chillies and chilli padi (2). Remove the stems and seeds from all eight dried chillies, two chilli padi and three large red chillies. Keep the dried chillies separate for soaking.

   Uses 8 dried whole chillies · 2 Chilli Padi · 3 Big Red Chilli · Water used to wash the fresh chillies, discarded

3. 3

   Step 3: Soak the deseeded dried chillies in hot water for about 10 minutes, until soft. Drain, rinse and pat dry; discard this soaking water.

   Check dried chillies are soft · 10 minUses All eight deseeded dried chillies, separate from the fresh peppers · Hot water drawn for soaking and rinsing the dried chillies, discarded

4. 4

   Step 4: Blend the drained softened dried chillies, prepared fresh chillies and toasted belachan into a paste. Set it aside for frying.

   Uses All softened dried chillies, separate from soaking water · All two chilli padi and three fresh red chillies · All toasted ten-gram shrimp paste

5. 5

   Step 5: Rinse the dried shrimp (70 g) and soak in hot water for about 10 minutes until softened. Drain, keeping the soaking liquid separately. Remove any remaining heads, legs or shells and coarsely chop the shrimp. Filter the retained liquid to remove grit; keep it separate for the cooking-liquid measure.

   Check dried shrimp are softened · 10 minUses 70 g dried shrimp (hay bee) · Water drawn for rinsing and hot-soaking the dried shrimp

6. 6

   Step 6: Peel all 8–10 shallots and three garlic cloves. Wash and pat them thoroughly dry.

   Uses 8-10 Shallots · 3 cloves Garlic · Water used to wash peeled shallots and garlic, discarded

7. 7

   Step 7: Coarsely chop the garlic and thinly slice the shallots, keeping the two prepared supplies separate.

   Uses All prepared shallots and garlic

8. 8

   Step 8: Trim roughly 6–7 cm from the coarse root ends of the water-spinach (500 g) bundle and discard tough lower stems. Wash the remaining greens thoroughly to remove sand before cutting them into shorter sections. Do not leave the hollow stems soaking.

   Uses 500 g water spinach (kangkong) · Water used to wash the uncut water spinach, discarded

9. 9

   Step 9: Break or cut the washed water spinach into about 6 cm lengths. Separate the stems from the leafy sections into two colanders and drain thoroughly.

   Uses All edible washed greens, separate from trimmings and water

10. 10

    Step 10: Mix all ¼ tsp cornstarch with ½ tsp slurry water and set aside. In a separate measuring jug, combine some filtered shrimp-soaking liquid with fresh water as needed to make 150 ml total. Have both liquids, the prepared chilli paste, shrimp, aromatics and drained greens ready before heating the wok.

    Uses ¼ tsp cornstarch for slurry · ½ tsp water for slurry · Filtered soaking liquid drawn toward the 150 ml total cooking liquid · Fresh water drawn only to make 150 ml total cooking liquid

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Heat 4–5 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat.

    Uses 4-5 TBsp Oil

12. 12

    Step 12: Add the sliced shallots and fry until limp. Add the chopped dried shrimp and garlic and continue frying until aromatic.

    Uses All heated oil in the wok · All sliced shallots, separate from the chopped garlic · All chopped garlic, separate from the sliced shallots · All prepared chopped shrimp, separate from retained liquid and trimmings

13. 13

    Step 13: Lower the heat, add all the chilli-belachan paste and fry, stirring constantly, for about 1–2 minutes. Check from 1 minute and avoid burning the paste.

    Check sambal paste from 1 minute · 1 minUses All aromatic mixture in the wok · All blended chilli and shrimp paste

14. 14

    Step 14: Turn the heat to high and add the drained water-spinach stems. Stir to coat them with sambal and fry until softened but still slightly crunchy; a metal spatula should cut through a stem easily.

    Uses All fried sambal mixture · All drained stem sections, separate from leafy sections

15. 15

    Step 15: Add the leafy sections to the stems, then pour in all the prepared 150 ml cooking liquid. Cook over high heat for about 3–4 minutes, checking from 3 minutes, until the leaves are wilted and hot through while the stems remain green.

    Check leaves from 3 minutes · 3 minUses All stems and sambal in the wok · All drained leafy sections, separate from stems already added · All 150 ml combined cooking liquid, separate from the slurry

16. 16

    Step 16: Stir the slurry again, add it to the hot greens and stir quickly for a few seconds until the gravy lightly thickens.

    Uses All cooked greens and gravy · All prepared slurry, separate from the already added 150 ml cooking liquid

17. 17

    Step 17: Transfer the sambal water spinach to a serving plate and serve hot as six side portions.

    Uses All finished vegetable dish and gravy