Crispy Kangkong

Name: Crispy Kangkong
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Philippines
Ingredients: 300 g kangkong or spinach leaves; 120 g plain flour; 60 g cornflour; 1 tsp baking powder; 250 ml ice-cold water; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp white pepper; 100 ml cane vinegar; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 red chilli, sliced; Oil for frying

Local name: Crispy kangkong

Filipino water spinach leaves in a light batter, fried and served with a cane vinegar dipping sauce.

Vegan#fried#water spinach#vinegar#snack#crisp

Photo: Obsidian Soul · CC0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Wash the leaves and dry them thoroughly. Any droplet will make the oil spit.
Mix the vinegar, garlic, chilli and a pinch of salt. Set this sauce aside.
Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and pepper into the ice-cold water. The batter should stay thin and lumpy.
Heat the oil to 180°C in a deep pan.
Dip the leaves a small handful at a time and let the excess batter run off.
Fry for 2 minutes, separating the leaves with chopsticks, until pale and crisp.
Drain on a rack and salt at once. Serve with the vinegar sauce.

Cornflour replaces part of the wheat flour to limit gluten, which would toughen the coating. Ice water slows the same reaction, so the batter stays thin and sets before it soaks up oil.

Nutrition · per serving

Calories: 213 kcal
Protein: 5.4 g
Fat: 0.8 g
Carbohydrate: 45.8 g
Fibre: 5.4 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Why mix cornflour with wheat flour?

The cornflour replaces part of the wheat to limit gluten, which would make the coating hard rather than crisp. The ice water does the same job by slowing gluten formation while the batter waits.

My batter goes thick and soggy after frying. What went wrong?

It should stay thin and deliberately lumpy, and the water must be genuinely iced. A smooth, warm batter thickens, soaks up oil and does not set fast enough around the leaf. Always let the excess drip off before the leaves go in.

The oil spits violently. Why?

The leaves were not dry enough. Any droplet left on the kangkong makes 180C oil erupt. Wash, then dry thoroughly in a salad spinner or a cloth before dipping.

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