← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 400 g Water spinach (kangkung)
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 1 tbsp Dried shrimp, soaked for 10 minutes and drained
• 3 Shallot, peeled
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 Red chilli, roughly chopped
• 2 Bird's eye chilli
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• ½ tsp Sugar
• Salt

Method

1. Wash the kangkung in several changes of water, since it hides grit. Snap off the tough bottom ends, cut into 8 cm lengths and keep the stalks and leaves in separate piles.
2. Pound or blend the belacan, dried shrimp, shallots, garlic and both chillies into a coarse paste.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the paste for 2–3 min, stirring, until it darkens and smells rich. Open a window: toasting belacan is pungent.
4. Turn the heat to high, add the stalks and toss for 1 minute. Add the leaves, the sugar and a splash of water and toss for 1–2 min, just until wilted and glossy but still bright green.
5. Taste, add a pinch of salt only if needed (the belacan is salty), and serve straight away with rice.

Tips

• No kangkung? Spinach, morning glory, long beans or sweet potato leaves all work with the same sambal.
• Belacan is fermented shrimp, so this dish is not vegetarian and is unsafe for shellfish allergies.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste Asian Food Nomadette