This versatile vegetable has so many names!  It is called Tung Choi, water spinach, river spinach, water morning glory (I love this name!), water convolvulus and ong choy.  The Chinese names are also various: 通菜, 空心菜 and 蕹菜.  I think that the number of names this vegetable has collected speaks to its popularity.

Did you know that in HK there is a street named after this very vegetable?  That’s right, Tung Choi Street 通菜街 in Kowloon, HK is named for a long ago paddy field that grew tung choi in riotous profusion right there where the now bustling mega crowded street exists.  

Tung Choi Street (Photo by Wpcpey)

But I digress, back to our veg!  Know that there are two major types of tung choi out there.  There is the green stem water spinach and the white stem water spinach .  The green stem water spinach 青通 has thinner (comparatively) green stems and the texture is smooth and tender.  The white stem water spinach 白通 has white thicker stems and is also smooth but a bit more crisp to eat.

Look for this vegetable at your local Asian grocer and, of course, you can find at any wet market in HK.  When buying water spinach check that the leaves and stems are fresh and not crushed or wilted.

As you can see we chose green tung choi to cook today.  Because the leaves are quite delicate while the stems are much sturdier and larger, we like to separate the leafy bits from the thicker stems.  That way the thicker stems can be added first to allow for more cooking time.

Here is our pile of the leafy bits.  You see how much thinner they are?

Condiments for this dish are chilies, shallots, garlic and the fabulous fermented shrimp paste. 

If you have never encountered shrimp paste 蝦醬 you will have to take a step back, perhaps, and get used to the very strong aroma of shrimp paste.  It’s rather like anchovies, both in the strength of its flavor and smell as well as in the way it magically improves the flavor of the foods it is cooked with.

To prepare these flavoring components, simply slice the shallots and chilies and mince the garlic.  The amount of garlic is up to you.  We like a lot cuz garlic is delish.

The first step in the stir fry is to add the chilies, shallot and garlic and stir until caramelized, fragrant and touched with golden.  This is an important step that brings out the flavors of these condiments.

The next step is to add the shrimp paste.  Splash!  Sizzle!  Oh ‘ware the aroma!  The fragrance of the shrimp paste is gonna penetrate every corner of your house and then some!

Be sure to keep the fire low here as the paste might burn if the heat is too high.

Once the shrimp paste is mixed in it’s time to add the Tung Choi thicker stems.  Stir, stir, stir…

Second vegetable phase: add in the leafy bits.  Stir, stir, stir…

Stir until the tung choi is completely wilted and soft.  It’s always surprising how much the tung choi shrinks in the heat.  You think you’ve got such a huge bunch of veggies only to find that they’ve melted into a perfectly modest sized plate of the most deliciously fragrant tender tung choi ever.  

Have a taste and witness the power of the humble shrimp paste!  Wowwee!  Plate up delicioso Stir Fried Tung Choi with Shrimp Paste and serve hot!