Plecing Kangkung / Slight boiled water spinach topping with spicy sambal

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The dream finally has come through, this time after the long post, I happen to put up this dish to be one of most wanted topic I ever yearning. The side dish that I almost craving the most during my stay abroad which I couldn’t easily to find what would we called kangkung (water spinach), how sad it was…

I still remember how hard I settled my huge effort for not just giving up, I attempted to plant my own kangkung from the seeds which I got from Taiwan, but again the result of the kangkung after harvesting wasn’t pleased, they are somewhat unappealing looks nor the texture wasn’t gives the truthful kick.

Most likely, the reason was because I plant them in the pot the fact which I believe in that a chance of growing up abundantly didn’t get enough room. This is a valuable lesson…

Plecing kangkung is the side dish that is utterly brilliant, it goes well along with grilled chicken, grilled fish, deed fried fish, fried tofu and tempe or even fried salted fish, everything just delicious.

Plecing kangkung is originally from lombok island (the beautiful small island just nearby Bali)

I was wondering about the truly flavor and aroma of plecing kangkung, to be honest I went out to the few different restaurants to find out what was to be my mystified and inquisitiveness, until I finally got it just right what the specific ingredients being used in plecing kangkung, apart from spiciness which make plecing kangkung so intensity in flavor and also it has unique sharp aromatic.

It simply lies on the used of jeruk limau *limau lime, I used to called them as jeruk limau sambal which means “limau lime meant for making sambal”. 

The little tiny lime has a very pungent smell and aromatic citrucy that makes them characterized thus the limau lime a.k.a jeruk limau sambal as the one who brings all the enormous flavor to the Plecing kangkung.

If you have chance or planned of traveling to Lombok don’t forget to indulge the local dish-Plecing Kangkung, but if you haven’t any plan yet, don’t be so upset, because I have the recipe which perhaps capable to thrill you to try it out.

Plecing kangkung

Slight boiled water spinach topping with spicy sambal

Ingredients

A bunch of kangkung (water spinach)

1/2 tsp toasted shrimp paste (terasi/belachan) as your desire

5 bird eye chillies / adjust how spicy you want it to be 

1/2 from whole tomato

2 whole Jeruk limau / limau lime

Salt-sugar to taste

For the sambal :

Using mortar and pestle (cobek), place the chillies, 
shrimp paste (terasi) salt and sugar

Grind to roughly form and then add the tomato, 
continue to grind until the the juices are out

Halved the lime limau (jeruk limau sambal) squished out the juice 
and then mix well in the sambal, removed the seeds.

Placed the used limau lime skin in the sambal, 
using the pestle, gently mash it up.

Stir the sambal using a spoon or rubber spatula to get equal the flavor

Discard the limau lime skin,

*do not let it stand to long or it cause your sambal develop a slight bitter taste

Set aside the sambal

Meanwhile, prepare for the slight boiled kangkung (water spinach)

In the pot bring the tap water to a boil, just add little salt in it

Add kangkung and then bring to a slight boiled until they are just cooked

* the best is if they are still have a slight crunch texture on it

Once they cooked, remove immediately from the boiling salt water.

* If you have certain passion,plugged them to the bowl of ice water in intend to maintain the fresh natural green color.

Place the kangkung *water spinach on the serving plate 
and then pour the sambal over the kangkung ( water spinach )

Serve it as a sides dish