Ask a table at a zi char restaurant what greens to order and someone will almost always say sambal kangkong. The dish is simple: water spinach stir-fried in a fiery wok with chilli paste and dried shrimp paste. Yet it divides people over spice level, crunch and how much belacan is too much. Its quieter cousin, sotong kangkong, swaps the heat for a sweet, sticky sauce and slices of cuttlefish.
This guide explains both dishes, how stalls typically cook them, what to look for when ordering, and how to make a good plate of sambal kangkong at home.
What Kangkong Is and Why It Works So Well
Kangkong, also called water spinach or morning glory, is a leafy green with long hollow stems and arrow-shaped leaves. It grows quickly in warm, wet conditions, so it is cheap and easy to find at wet markets and supermarkets across Singapore.
Its two textures are the secret. The hollow stems stay crunchy when cooked fast, while the leaves wilt and soak up sauce. That makes kangkong ideal for strong flavours: the stems carry the crunch and the leaves carry the sambal.
In local kitchens you will see a few common names:
- Kangkong belacan or sambal kangkong: stir-fried with a chilli and shrimp paste mix.
- Kangkong with garlic or fried with garlic: a plainer version for people who avoid spice or seafood.
- Sotong kangkong: blanched kangkong and cuttlefish with a sweet dark sauce.
Sambal Kangkong at Zi Char Stalls
Zi char (literally “cook and fry”) stalls are casual restaurants and coffee shop stalls that cook dishes to order for sharing. Sambal kangkong is a staple on these menus.
What usually goes into it:
- Sambal belacan or a house chilli paste: chillies, shallots and garlic pounded or blended, often cooked with belacan, a fermented shrimp paste.
- Dried shrimp (hae bee): sometimes pounded into the paste or fried separately for extra savouriness.
- Very high heat: the wok is heated until smoking so the kangkong cooks in a minute or two and picks up wok hei, the smoky aroma of a hot wok.
When ordering, you can usually ask for:
- Less spicy or more spicy, depending on the stall.
- Without belacan, if you avoid shrimp paste. Some stalls will switch to garlic instead.
- A small, medium or large plate, which is usually sized to the number of diners.
A good plate has bright green stems that still snap, leaves coated but not drowning in oil, and a sambal that is fragrant rather than just hot.
Sotong Kangkong: The Sweet Hawker Version
Sotong kangkong is a different dish altogether. Instead of a fiery stir-fry, it is a cold or room-temperature plate, usually from stalls that also sell rojak, cuttlefish or yong tau foo style items, and sometimes from rojak and popiah stalls.
Typical components:
- Blanched kangkong, cooked briefly in boiling water and drained.
- Sotong (cuttlefish or squid), often the rehydrated, slightly bouncy kind, sliced into strips.
- A thick sweet sauce, commonly based on hae ko (black prawn paste), sugar and sometimes chilli, similar to rojak dressing.
- Toppings such as crushed roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds.
The result is sweet, savoury and chewy, with crunch from the peanuts and stems. Some stalls offer it with extra chilli on the side.
How the Two Dishes Compare
| Feature | Sambal kangkong | Sotong kangkong |
|---|---|---|
| Where you find it | Zi char restaurants, coffee shop stalls, Malay and Peranakan eateries | Rojak, cuttlefish and some hawker snack stalls |
| Cooking method | Wok-fried over very high heat | Blanched, then dressed |
| Flavour | Spicy, savoury, shrimpy, smoky | Sweet, savoury, nutty |
| Served | Hot, as a shared side dish | Room temperature, as a snack or side |
| Goes well with | Rice, steamed fish, cereal prawns, sweet and sour pork | Eaten on its own or with other rojak items |
How to Make Sambal Kangkong at Home
Home stoves rarely match a hawker’s wok burner, but you can still get a bright, crunchy result by working in batches and keeping the pan very hot.
Ingredients (serves 2 to 3 as a side)
- 1 large bunch of kangkong
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sambal belacan or chilli paste, homemade or store-bought
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp, soaked and roughly chopped (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- A pinch of sugar
- Salt or a splash of light soy sauce, to taste
- A few tablespoons of water
Prepare the kangkong
- Soak the bunch in a basin of water and swish it around to loosen grit. Lift it out, change the water, and repeat until no grit settles.
- Pick or cut the stems into finger-length pieces. Separate the thicker lower stems from the leafy tops, because the stems need a little longer.
- Split very thick stems lengthwise so they cook evenly.
- Drain well. Wet greens drop the pan temperature and turn soggy.
Cook
- Heat a wok or wide pan over the highest heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the oil.
- Fry the garlic, shallots and dried shrimp for about 30 seconds, until fragrant but not burnt.
- Add the sambal and fry briefly until it smells toasty and the oil turns red.
- Add the stems first and toss for about a minute.
- Add the leaves, the sugar and a splash of water. Toss quickly until the leaves have just wilted.
- Season with salt or light soy sauce, taste, and serve immediately.
Tips for better results
- Cook in two batches if your pan is small. Overcrowding steams the vegetables.
- Do not cover the pan; the stems turn dull and soft.
- If you are new to belacan, start with less and add more next time.
- Keep the kitchen ventilated. Frying sambal and belacan produces strong fumes that can make you cough and travel to neighbours.
If you want to make your own paste, our guides to making sambal chilli from scratch and making your own sambal and rempah cover the pounding and frying in detail.
A Simple Sotong Kangkong at Home
You can assemble a home version without special equipment:
- Blanch kangkong in salted boiling water for under a minute, then drain and plunge into cold water to keep it green.
- Blanch sliced squid or cuttlefish briefly until just opaque; overcooking turns it rubbery.
- Mix black prawn paste with sugar and a little hot water into a thick, pourable sauce, adding chilli if you like.
- Arrange the kangkong and sotong on a plate, drizzle with the sauce and finish with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds.
Taste the sauce as you go, because brands of prawn paste vary in saltiness and sweetness.
For more on the chilli pastes that define these dishes, see Sambal and Chilli: A Local Flavour Guide, and if you would rather grow your own greens, try growing kangkong at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make sambal kangkong without belacan? Yes. Skip the shrimp paste and use a plain chilli paste with garlic and shallots instead. The flavour will be less funky and less smoky-savoury, but still good. Many zi char stalls will also swap belacan for garlic if you ask, which suits people avoiding shrimp.
Why does my homemade kangkong turn soggy and dull? Usually the greens were wet, the pan was crowded or the heat was too low, so they steamed instead of frying. Drain the kangkong well, cook in two batches over the highest heat, add stems before leaves and do not cover the pan.
What is the sauce in sotong kangkong made of? It is commonly based on hae ko, a black prawn paste, mixed with sugar and sometimes chilli, much like rojak dressing. It is then topped with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. Brands differ in saltiness and sweetness, so taste as you mix.
What dishes go well with sambal kangkong at a zi char meal? It pairs well with plain rice, steamed fish, cereal prawns and sweet and sour pork. The spicy, shrimpy greens cut through richer fried dishes, so one plate is usually enough to share among a table, with sizes chosen by the number of diners.
How do I wash kangkong properly before cooking? Soak the bunch in a basin of water, swish it around to loosen grit, then lift it out and change the water. Repeat until no grit settles. Cut the stems into finger-length pieces, split very thick ones lengthwise and drain thoroughly before cooking.