Morning glory – Kangkong – Ong choy

Morning glory is a long, flat leaf with slender, hollow stems. This leafy vegetable goes by many names such as Ong choy, kangkong (pronounced kancun), water spinach and Chinese spinach. It is a popular vegetable in Asian and Surinamese cuisine with a subtle and slightly sweet taste. The varieties with large, deep green leaves are more flavourful than the smaller leaf varieties

Did you know…
Morning glory is a semi-water plant native to Southeast Asia. This fast-growing vegetable is grown primarily in wet, tropical climates. The mature plant produces white, trumpet-shaped flowers with a purple centre, although the leaves are harvested before blooming for the best flavour.

Its Latin name is Ipomoea aquatica

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Morning glory
nutrition facts

Per 100 grams

Fresh morning glory leaves are very low in calories and fats, and rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. They are high in ascorbic acid and vitamin C, and an abundant source of vitamin A, similar to watercress, spinach and kale. Other vitamins include riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folic acid. Morning glory contains antioxidants like carotene-ß and lutein, and minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus. When consumed on a regular basis, this vegetable can help to prevent osteoporosis, iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin-A deficiency and cardiovascular disease.

Calories

Fats

0.3 g

Protein

2.5 g

Carbohydrates

3.1 g

Cooking with morning glory

Fresh, tender morning glory shoots are ideal for green salads. Larger leaves should be cooked before consumption. The leaves and stems can be boiled, steamed or sautéed in oil for use in stir-fries, stews and curries. Much like spinach, the leaves shrink when cooked. The young stems can also be finely chopped and fried for use as a filling (dim sum).

For storage, the leaves are best wrapped in wet towels and kept in the refrigerator, similar to other greens like spinach. Or you can use them right away to enjoy them while they’re at their freshest!

Recipes with morning glory

Crispy Kangkong

Cooking time: 20 mins
Difficulty level: medium
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
Bunch of Kangkong leaves, stalks removed

For the batter:
60g all-purpose flour
60g corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder (optional)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Cooking oil for frying

For the dipping sauce:
60 ml soy sauce
80 ml calamansi or lemon juice
Sugar (pinch)
2 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
¼ tsp chili pepper (optional)

Instructions:

Mix the batter ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the kangkong leaves. Keeping the batter cold will keep the coating crunchy long after frying.
Wash the kangkong leaves, separate them and pat dry. Cover each leaf with corn starch to dry extra well and then set aside. This will help the batter to stick to the leaves before and after frying.
Heat the cooking oil over medium-low heat.
In the meantime, make the dipping sauce by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl. Stir well.
Take the batter out of the fridge and dip each Kangkong leaf and drop them one by one in the oil leaving space between them.
Fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown, then lay them out on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil. Sprinkle directly with salt and pepper.
Serve while hot with the dipping sauce.

Vegan stir fry with mushrooms and Ong choy stalks

Cooking time: 20 mins
Difficulty level: easy
Servings: 1

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic (minced)
2 shallots (thinly sliced)
Ong choy stalks (cut into 1 cm pieces)
1 chili (thinly sliced)
5 large mushrooms (sliced)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Rice vinegar (splash)
Sugar (pinch)
Salt and pepper
Scallions to garnish (thinly sliced)