Sambal Kangkung With Shrimp Paste

By
Connie Veneracion
Connie Veneracion
Connie Veneracion
Food writer and blogger living in the Philippines and specializing in Southeast Asian home cooking and travel.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/27/21
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer and product tester at Food Network. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Sambal Kangkung With Shrimp Paste

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
119 Calories
7g Fat
12g Carbs
4g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 119
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 237mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 41mg 207%
Calcium 129mg 10%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 461mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Kangkung is Ipomoea aquatica, a semiaquatic plant that grows in swamps. It is called kangkong in Tagalog in the Philippines, rau muống in Vietnamese, phak bung in Thai and kangkung in Malaysian and Indonesian. Both the hollow stalks and the leaves are edible although the stalks are tougher and take a bit longer to cook.

Sambal is a generic term for chili-based sauces; there are a lot of varieties, we suggest using sambal oelek (available in the Asian section of most groceries). If you use sambal belacan which is a chili and shrimp paste, you don’t have to add shrimp paste separately, but you’ll probably have to make adjustments to the amounts. You can serve this as a vegetable dish alongside a meat dish. It’s not totally vegetarian because shrimp paste is an ingredient; if you want to transform it into a vegetarian dish, just omit the shrimp paste.

Learn what foods you need to stock your pantry with to cook Filipino recipes.

"I found kangkung at my local Asian market, but mature spinach is an excellent substitute. Cooking the thicker parts of the vegetable first was quite clever. I added the full amount of sambal oelek and didn’t find it overwhelmingly spicy. I also added more fish sauce at the end, along with a pinch of salt." —Diana Andrews

Sambal Kangkung Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kangkung or mature spinach, about 12 ounces, rinsed

  • 2 to 3 medium shallots, coarsely chopped

  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 tablespoon sambal oelek, or to taste

  • 1 teaspoon tamarind paste

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce, more to taste

  • Salt, to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Sambal Kangkung With Shrimp Paste ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. Cut the kangkung or spinach into two-inch lengths. Separate into three portions—the thick lower stalks, the middle portion of the stalks, and the leaves.

    Cut the spinach into two-inch lengths

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Grind the shallots, garlic and lemongrass to a paste (a mortar and pestle are traditional, but you can also use a food processor).

    Grind the shallots, garlic and lemongrass to a paste

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the shallot-garlic-lemongrass paste, sambal oelek, tamarind paste, sugar, ginger, shrimp paste, and fish sauce. Cook gently over medium heat until the mixture separates from the oil.

    shallot-garlic-lemongrass paste, sambal oelek, tamarind paste, sugar, ginger, shrimp paste, and fish sauce in a pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. Add the kangkung or spinach stalks—the thick ones. They take the longest to cook so they go into the pan first. Stir. Add about three tablespoons of water and cook for about two minutes.

    spinach stalks added to the sauce in the pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Add the middle portion of the stalks, stir, cook for a minute.

    spinach and sauce in a pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  7. Add the kangkung or spinach leaves, stir and cook for about half a minute.

    spinach and sauce in a pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  8. Taste and add more fish sauce or salt if needed. Serve hot.

    Sambal Kangkung With Shrimp Paste in a pan

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg