This Filipino morning glory recipe also known as ginisang kangkong is a a crunchy, garlicky, savoury, sweet and spicy side dish perfect for any day. It takes less than 5 minutes to cook, perfect for any day of the week.
Kangkong also known as morning glory, water spinach, swamp cabbage or pak boong is widely available in the Philippines as well as Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.
Morning glory grows prolifically near ponds, rivers or water sources. It used to be almost free when I was much younger. The reason is that I grew up surrounded by waterways and paddy fields perfect for morning glory to grow. My mom used to make adobong kangkong which was great on its own or served with something fried or smoked.
Morning glory is not readily available in the UK so I rarely have it here. It is always a treat when I see it in an Asian supermarket. Make it into adobo or ginisa, they are both easy and quick to make.
Since I was introduced to pad pak boong fai dang, a stir-fried Thai morning glory side dish, which my husband likes, I have adapted the spicy part of that dish to make Filipino stir-fried morning glory.
This recipe is vegan and we can call it vegan stir-fried morning glory or vegan ginisang kangkong. This dish was not originally vegan growing up because of the use of fermented fish or fish sauce which was more affordable than soy sauce back in the day. Now that mushroom sauce and vegan sauces are more available, we can make the dish vegan and vegetarian friendly.
What is ginisang kangkong?
Ginisa means stir-fry, and kangkong means morning glory or water spinach.
Ginisang kangkong is stir-fried morning glory with garlicky, savoury, sweet and spicy sauce.
It is an easy, simple to make and tasty side dish.
Ingredients to make stir-fried morning glory
Morning glory – the star of the dish, aka water spinach, swamp cabbage, pak boong. You can use the whole thing, stems and leaves, however it is important to cook the stems first because they would be tougher than the leaves. The leaves only takes seconds to cook that’s why.
Cooking oil – use neutral cooking oil like canola, sunflower, rapeseed oil
Garlic – in the recipe we used Thai garlic which are smaller cloves of garlic but use any garlic in hand
Chillies – we used Thai chillies substitute with any hot or mild chillies
Mushroom sauce – substitute with oyster sauce, soy sauce, tamari sauce or fish sauce, depending on availability or dietary needs
Soy sauce – use light or regular soy sauce, if using only soy sauce, do a taste test to adjust the saltiness
How to make morning glory stir-fry?
To make this dish quick and straightforward, the longest part of the prep is washing and cutting the vegetable into the desired length. This dish only takes 5 minutes of preparation and 5 minutes to cook. So, get everything ready before turning the burner or heating the pan.
Step 1
A quick note to remember is to make sure the vegetable is clean and dry.
This step is crucial because we want crunchy vegetables and this avoids cooling the pan when it is hot that affects the cooking time.
Do this by washing the morning glory 2 to 3 times.
Option 1
Drain and shake the excess water. Place over a paper towel and pat dry to absorb excess moisture.
Option 2
Another way to get rid of excess moisture is by using a salad spinner.
Cut the morning glory into desired or bite-size lengths and separate the stalks from the leaves.
Place the stem or stalk in a salad spinner to get rid of excess moisture then do the same with the leaves.
Step 2
The next thing to do is crush the garlic, slice the chillies in half, measure the sauces and we are ready to start cooking.
Step 3
Heat the wok or pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil followed by the crushed garlic. When the garlic turns a bit brown or you can smell the aroma of the garlic add the chillies. Stir for a few seconds then add the morning glory to the pan followed by the sauces. Toss quickly for a few more seconds to incorporate the sauces. Add a splash of water if it’s too dry. Turn the heat off, transfer to a serving plate and serve.
In the video, I had forgotten to add the chillies before the morning glory but it still came out fine. In Thailand cooks sometimes add the garlic, chillies and morning glory at the same time, I guess the step in the video was not a misstep after all.
How to serve ginisang kangkong
Serve on its own with steamed rice or serve as a part of a shared meal with other dishes Asian-style.
What other vegetables can I use for this recipe?
Vegetables that do not need long cooking time could be used instead of the morning glory. Vegetables such as bok choy, pak choy, spinach, sprouting broccoli, kale, Chinese broccoli, and asparagus all work well with this recipe.
Try these Filipino vegetable dishes next:
Ensaladang Labanos a Filipino radish salad
Filipino Pinakbet a vegetable medley
Tortang Talong an eggplant omelette
Ginisang Gulay is a Filipino stir-fry of a rainbow coloured vegetables
Ensaladang Talong an eggplant salad
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Ginisang Gulay (Vegan Morning Glory Stir-Fry)
Ingredients
- 1 bunch morning glory stems cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- 1 handful garlic cloves crushed
- 1-2 red chillies sliced in half
- 1 tbsp mushroom sauce
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
Instructions
- Place or wok or pan over high heat.
- Add vegetable oil and garlic. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown.
- Add the chillies and toss for a few seconds.
- Add the morning glory and the sauces. Stir-fry until just wilted.
- Add a splash of water if it seems dry.
- Turn the heat off and transfer to a serving plate.
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