Ipomoea aquatica
Encyclopedia
Ipomoea aquatica is a semi-aquatic
tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable
. It is known in English as Water Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Water Convolvulus, or by the more ambiguous names "Chinese spinach" and "swamp cabbage". It has many other names in other languages, such as "Phak bung" in Thai and "Kangkung" in Malay and Indonesian. It is found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world; it is not known exactly where it originated. It has been mistakenly called kale by some people in the West, although kale is a different family of plant belonging to the Brassica oleracea Acephala Group and completely unrelated to the Water Spinach.
Ipomoea aquatica grows in water
or on moist soil
. Its stems are 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) or more long, rooting at the nodes, and they are hollow and can float. The leaves
vary from typically sagittate (arrow-head-shaped) to lanceolate, 5 centimetre long and 2 centimetre broad. The flower
s are trumpet-shaped, 3 centimetre diameter, usually white in colour with a mauve centre. The flowers can form seed pods which can be used for planting.
Ipomoea aquatica is most commonly grown in East
and Southeast Asia
. Because it flourishes naturally in waterways and requires little if any care, it is used extensively in Thai, Lao, Cambodian, Malay, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, especially in rural
or kampung (village) areas.
It has also been introduced to the United States
where its high growth rate has caused it to become an environmental problem, especially in Florida and Texas. It has been officially designated by the USDA as a "noxious weed" (the term "noxious" refers to its effect on the environment, not to any toxicity)
The vegetable is a common ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes. In Singapore
, Indonesia
and Malaysia, the leaves are usually stir fried
with chile pepper, garlic
, ginger
, dried shrimp paste
(belacan/terasi) and other spice
s. In Penang
and Ipoh
, it is cooked with cuttlefish
and a sweet and spicy sauce. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
in World War II
, the vegetable grew remarkably well and easily in many areas, and become a popular wartime crop.
In Chinese cuisine there are numerous ways of preparation, but a simple and quick stir-fry either plain or with minced garlic
is probably the most common. In Cantonese, the water spinach is known as 蕹菜 . In Cantonese cuisine, a popular variation adds fermented bean curd. In Hakka cuisine, yellow bean paste is added, sometimes along with fried shallot
s. The vegetable is also extremely popular in Taiwan
, where it grows well.
In Thailand
, where it is called phak bung , in Laos known as pak bong (ຜັກບົ້ງ), and in Burma, where it is called ga zun ywet, it is frequently stir-fried with oyster sauce
or yellow soybean paste
, and garlic and chillies. It can also be eaten raw, for instance with green papaya salad
.
There is concern that when eaten raw, the plant may transmit Fasciolopsis buski an intestinal fluke
parasite of humans and pigs causing fasciolopsiasis
.
In Vietnam, ipomoea aquatica (known as rau muống) once served as a staple vegetable of the poor. In the south, the stems are julienned
into thin strips and eaten with many kinds of noodles. It is used as a garnish as well. Ipomoea aquatica has become a common ingredient of Vietnamese cuisine.
In the Philippines
, Ipomoea aquatica or kangkóng, is usually sautéed in cooking oil, onion
s, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce
. This dish is called "adobo
ng kangkong". It is also a common leaf vegetable in fish and meat stews such as sinigang
.
There is also an appetizer in the Philippines called "crispy kangkong", in which Ipomoea aquatica leaves are coated with batter and fried until crisp and golden brown.
In South India
the leaves are finely chopped and mixed with grated coconut in order to prepare Thoran
(തോരന്), a Kerala
cuisine dish.
In Bangladesh
and West Bengal
, it is known as Kolmishak (কলমীশাক) and stir fried preparation of the leaves is a very popular dish.
Aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetable
Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, leafy greens or salad greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots...
. It is known in English as Water Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Water Convolvulus, or by the more ambiguous names "Chinese spinach" and "swamp cabbage". It has many other names in other languages, such as "Phak bung" in Thai and "Kangkung" in Malay and Indonesian. It is found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world; it is not known exactly where it originated. It has been mistakenly called kale by some people in the West, although kale is a different family of plant belonging to the Brassica oleracea Acephala Group and completely unrelated to the Water Spinach.
Ipomoea aquatica grows in water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
or on moist soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. Its stems are 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) or more long, rooting at the nodes, and they are hollow and can float. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
vary from typically sagittate (arrow-head-shaped) to lanceolate, 5 centimetre long and 2 centimetre broad. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are trumpet-shaped, 3 centimetre diameter, usually white in colour with a mauve centre. The flowers can form seed pods which can be used for planting.
Cultivation and culinary uses
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Because it flourishes naturally in waterways and requires little if any care, it is used extensively in Thai, Lao, Cambodian, Malay, Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, especially in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
or kampung (village) areas.
It has also been introduced to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where its high growth rate has caused it to become an environmental problem, especially in Florida and Texas. It has been officially designated by the USDA as a "noxious weed" (the term "noxious" refers to its effect on the environment, not to any toxicity)
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Malaysia, the leaves are usually stir fried
Stir frying
Stir frying is an umbrella term used to describe two Chinese cooking techniques for preparing food in a wok: chǎo and bào . The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, to describe the chǎo technique...
with chile pepper, garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, dried shrimp paste
Shrimp paste
Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi in Indonesian, ngapi in Burmese, kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan in Malay, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in...
(belacan/terasi) and other spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s. In Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
and Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
, it is cooked with cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
and a sweet and spicy sauce. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
The Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II occurred between about 1942 and 1945 after the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. Military forces of the Empire of Japan occupied Singapore after defeating the combined Australian, British, Indian and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the vegetable grew remarkably well and easily in many areas, and become a popular wartime crop.
In Chinese cuisine there are numerous ways of preparation, but a simple and quick stir-fry either plain or with minced garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
is probably the most common. In Cantonese, the water spinach is known as 蕹菜 . In Cantonese cuisine, a popular variation adds fermented bean curd. In Hakka cuisine, yellow bean paste is added, sometimes along with fried shallot
Shallot
The shallot is the botanical variety of Allium cepa to which the multiplier onion also belongs. It was formerly classified as the species A. ascalonicum, a name now considered a synonym of the correct name...
s. The vegetable is also extremely popular in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, where it grows well.
In Thailand
Cuisine of Thailand
Thai cuisine is the national cuisine of Thailand. Blending elements of several Southeast Asian traditions, Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components. The spiciness of Thai cuisine is well known. As with other Asian cuisines, balance, detail and variety...
, where it is called phak bung , in Laos known as pak bong (ຜັກບົ້ງ), and in Burma, where it is called ga zun ywet, it is frequently stir-fried with oyster sauce
Oyster sauce
Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from sugar, salt and water thickened with cornstarch, flavoured with a little oyster essence or extract and some versions may be darkened with caramel, though high...
or yellow soybean paste
Yellow soybean paste
Yellow soybean paste is a fermented paste made from yellow soybeans, salt, and water; wheat flour, though not formerly used, is often used as an additional ingredient in the modern day, and potassium sorbate may also be used as a preservative...
, and garlic and chillies. It can also be eaten raw, for instance with green papaya salad
Som tam
Som tam or som tum also known as tam bak hung is a spicy salad, the standard form of which is made from shredded unripened papaya. Som tam is similar to the Laotian dish tam mak hung and the Cambodian dish bok l'hong...
.
There is concern that when eaten raw, the plant may transmit Fasciolopsis buski an intestinal fluke
Trematoda
Trematoda is a class within the phylum Platyhelminthes that contains two groups of parasitic flatworms, commonly referred to as "flukes".-Taxonomy and biodiversity:...
parasite of humans and pigs causing fasciolopsiasis
Fasciolopsiasis
Fasciolopsiasis results from an infection by the trematode Fasciolopsis buski, the largest intestinal fluke of humans .-Infection cycle:...
.
In Vietnam, ipomoea aquatica (known as rau muống) once served as a staple vegetable of the poor. In the south, the stems are julienned
Julienning
Julienne is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, not unlike matchsticks. Sometimes called 'shoe string', e.g. 'shoestring fries'...
into thin strips and eaten with many kinds of noodles. It is used as a garnish as well. Ipomoea aquatica has become a common ingredient of Vietnamese cuisine.
In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Ipomoea aquatica or kangkóng, is usually sautéed in cooking oil, onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
. This dish is called "adobo
Adobo
Adobo is the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a stock , of different components, including paprika , oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar — mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be used—primarily to preserve and enhance the flavor of...
ng kangkong". It is also a common leaf vegetable in fish and meat stews such as sinigang
Sinigang
Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour flavor most often associated with tamarind .- Ingredients :Sinigang is traditionally tamarind based. Other versions of the dish derive their sourness from ingredients such as guava, calamansi, bilimbi, or raw mango among others...
.
There is also an appetizer in the Philippines called "crispy kangkong", in which Ipomoea aquatica leaves are coated with batter and fried until crisp and golden brown.
In South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
the leaves are finely chopped and mixed with grated coconut in order to prepare Thoran
Thoran
Thoran or Upperi is a Kerala cuisine dish . This popular and common dish is usually prepared to be eaten along with steamed rice...
(തോരന്), a Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
cuisine dish.
In Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, it is known as Kolmishak (কলমীশাক) and stir fried preparation of the leaves is a very popular dish.
Cultural references
There is a belief in traditional Chinese culture that discourages extensive consumption of Ipomoea aquatica with the explanation that the hollow stem makes the person weak and hollow like the plant, although this belief does not advocate refraining from eating the plant entirely. The elderly however are especially discouraged from consuming it. There is also a belief in Chinese culture that extensive consumption may result in muscle cramps. Despite this, it is a common vegetable in Asian cuisine.External links
- Water spinach nutritional information from Kasetsart UniversityKasetsart UniversityKasetsart University is a public university in Thailand and a top-ranked Public University in Thailand. It is ranked No.401-500 in the world by QS. It was also the first agricultural university and the third oldest university in Thailand...
- Photo of heart-shaped variety
- Aquatic, Wetland and Invasive Plant Particulars and Photographs
- USDA Noxious Weed Regulations (Possession in USA requires permit)
- Species Profile- Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural LibraryUnited States National Agricultural LibraryThe United States National Agricultural Library is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a National Library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture...
. Lists general information and resources for Water Spinach. - Helminths and Helminthiosis of Pigs in the Mekong Delta Vietnam with Special Reference to Ascariosis and Fasciolopsis buski Infection