Kangkong Goreng Blacan

Water-spinach or kangkong, as it is known in Southeast Asia, is a leaf vegetable native to the tropics. Related to the sweet potato and to morning glory, its mild flavor is similar to the spinach as eaten in the West. As with most other leaf vegetables, water spinach shrinks when cooked and a large bunch of fresh leaves will lose 2/3 of its bulk.

Before cooking, water spinach must be carefully washed and cleaned and the tough tips of the stalks trimmed away. The leaves are separated from the thick stalks, since they do not take the same amount of time to cook. Water spinach may be blanched and added to salads and soups. It is particularly popular when stir-fried with a strongly-flavored paste of dried chili peppers and dried shrimp.

..

Kangkong Goreng Blacan (stir-fried water spinach with shrimp paste)

Ingredients: Water spinach (600 g), leaves removed from thick stalks, stalks sliced into 2 ½ in (6 cm) pieces, 2 tbs dried shrimp (soaked and drained), salt to taste, 4 tbs oil.

Spice paste: 8 dried chili peppers (soaked, seeds discarded), 8 shallots (peeled and chopped), 2 garlic cloves (peeled and quartered), 1 piece of blacan (shrimp paste), 1x1x½ in.

Mash chili peppers, shallots, garlic cloves, and shrimp past in a mortar. Heat oil in wok, add spicy paste with salt and fry until the flavors are released. Fry dried shrimp in it for 1 minute. Add vegetable stalks and stir-fry for another 1 minute, then add the leaves. Continue stirring until the vegetable is covered by spices and is just cooked.

...
Source: Culinaria Koneman (1998) "Southeast Asian Specialties"