What every professional kitchen needs to know about ong choi: origin, flavour, preparation and storage.
Ong choi (通菜) — also known as kangkong, water spinach or morning glory vegetable, in Vietnam rau muống, in Thailand phak bung (ผักบุ้ง), botanically Ipomoea aquatica — grows along ditches and waterways in Southeast Asia.
The most distinctive feature is the hollow stems: they make the vegetable light and crisp, and cause sauces and flavours to be absorbed exceptionally well.
water spinachkangkongwater spinachrau muống空心菜Originally from tropical Asia, ong choi is today cultivated in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. In Vietnam, rau muống is a daily kitchen staple ranging from a simply blanched side dish to a stir-fry herb.
In Singapore and Malaysia, kangkong belacan is an icon: the vegetable is wok-fried on high heat with shrimp paste, garlic and chili. This dish is on every hawker centre menu.
The flavour is mild and slightly earthy, with a subtle sweetness. The contrast between the soft leaves and the crisp hollow stems makes ong choi versatile. On high heat the vegetable retains its bite — wok quickly and serve immediately.
In Thai cuisine, pad phak bung fai daeng (ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง) is one of the most ordered Thai street dishes. In Vietnamese cuisine, rau muống is a daily food: stir-fried with garlic, it is the most widely consumed leafy vegetable in Vietnam. In Indonesian cuisine, kangkung belacan — fried with shrimp paste — is a classic. In Japanese cuisine it is known as kūshin-sai (空心菜) and is eaten in Okinawa-inspired dishes and in Japanese-Chinese restaurants. In Chinese cuisine it is a Cantonese and Taiwanese wok classic. In Korean cuisine as bokkeum with garlic and sesame oil.
Store fresh ong choi cold at 2 to 4°C, loosely wrapped or with the stems standing in a shallow layer of water. The vegetable is susceptible to dehydration. Do not store near the fan in the refrigerator.
Use within 2 to 3 days of delivery. Yellowing leaves are an early sign of ageing.
Cut the stems and leaves separately, as the stems need more heat and time. Add the leaves only in the last 30 seconds of wokking.
Briefly marinate the stems in light soy sauce and sesame oil for extra depth in a cold preparation.
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