How to Make Water Spinach With Shrimp Paste (Chinese Recipe)

My passion for cooking leads me to travel to different places, eat authentic local dishes, and inspire everybody to enjoy their lives!

Water spinach is a common green vegetable in China and other subtropical regions. This aquatic plant has tender leaves and shoots, which makes it easy to cook. I prefer to top mine with homemade crispy fried garlic bits. You can enjoy this simple Chinese dish without spending too much.

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 100 grams kangkong
• 2 tablespoons garlic, fried
• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
• water (for blanching)

These utensils are needed for the preparation.

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Utensils

For Preparing the Ingredients:

• 1 medium bowl
• 2 small bowls
• Measuring spoons

For Cooking the Dish:

• Pot
• Slotted spoon
• Bowl
• Strainer

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Prepare a cold water bath in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Cook the water spinach until tender.
4. Drain the spinach and soak it in the prepared blanching water.
5. Sprinkle the toasted garlic on top.
6. Serve with shrimp paste on the side.

Tips and Techniques

1. Prepare a bowl of water filled with ice cubes whenever you're blanching vegetables.
2. This ice bath method helps stop the cooking process to avoid overcooking.
3. Season the boiling water with salt, if preferred, to make the water spinach tasty on its own.
4. Choose any type of shrimp paste available—ordinary, sweet, or spicy.

Another Delicious Water Spinach Recipe

• Water Spinach With Toasted Sesame Seeds in Oyster Sauce
  Discover how easy it is to make a healthy side dish with water spinach. This dish is absolutely affordable, and it's ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.

© 2018 Travel Chef

Comments

Travel Chef (author) from Manila on August 06, 2018:

Hi Eric,

Yes! It became my favorite because of Popeye, really!

Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on August 06, 2018:

Interesting. My wife has very similar recipes. Again though my boy and I like it raw. Go Popeye!

Travel Chef (author) from Manila on August 05, 2018:

Hello Liz,

Thank you! I hope my recipes encourage you to be more adventurous when eating foods.

Liz Westwood from UK on August 05, 2018:

I am enjoying learning about your recipes.

Travel Chef (author) from Manila on August 05, 2018:

Hi Pamela,

You should try it! It tasted so good. You will definitely like it!

Pamela Oglesby from Sunny Florida on August 05, 2018:

I have never eaten anything quite like this, but it sounds good. I like the taste of shrimp, and I love spinach, so I think I would like it. Thanks for sharing.

Travel Chef (author) from Manila on August 05, 2018:

Hi Mary,

I love eating spinach as it perfectly matches any kind of dishes. I had this one in Hongkong. Actually, I don't only consider it as a side dish, but can be part of my full meal. It goes well too with fish sauce, but I prefer shrimp paste as it has more texture. Thanks for dropping by!

Mary Norton from Ontario, Canada on August 04, 2018:

This is one of our favourites when we stayed in Cambodia. Instead of shrimp paste, we sometimes use fish sauce as it is more readily available in North America.