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Kangkung can kill you: Hazards (and health benefits) of a noxious weed
There's nothing like a celebrity endorsement – deliberate or otherwise. Why, even a humble vegetable like the water spinach can get its 15 minutes of fame. So we’re here to tell you what you really should know about the kangkung.
From rice fields, streams and swamps to the wok and then our tummies, the water spinach has now reached new levels of virality on the Internet, thanks to a stir-frying political and economic endorsement. But here are three things you might not know about Malaysia’s cheapest vegetable.
Invasion Of The Water Spinach! Though kangkung is grown everywhere and grows anywhere in Southeast Asia – they call it phak bung in Thailand, rau mung in Vietnam, trokuon in Cambodia andkalmi shak in Bangladesh – in other parts of the world it’s despised as a swamp cabbage. In America, it’s known as the Chinese water spinach and is officially conferred by the Department Of Agriculture as a noxious weed. While abhorred as an invasive species, our beloved greenie has thrived in the wetlands of Texas, Florida and even California where its unstoppable, quick-growing hollow stems simply float over the indigenous flora and form ragged mats that choke and stagnate everything in its path. Alas, Americans have yet to acquiesce to this rural cuisine and popular wartime crop. Make it rabbit food or harvest the green plague and stir-fry it.  Killer Kangkung! Kangkung’s indescribable blandness and crispy texture seems to perfectly complement pungent ingredients like garlic, chilli and belacan. But be careful how you cook and eat it, or you could end up with a case of Fasciolopsiasis. It’s a condition caused by the Fasciolopsis buski, a large parasitic intestinal fluke that can be found as larval cysts laid on the water spinach (and several other water vegetables for that matter) in the hope that a reckless human will consume it raw. In people, the cysts release the fluke that anchors itself to the wall of the intestine and causes indigestion, allergic reactions and abdominal pain. It’s a total gross-out and untreated cases can be fatal, so be safe – fry or boil that kangkung good and proper before serving it. Kangkung Cure-All! Southeast Asian mums have long promoted the Ipomoea aquatica as a universal magic potion for various ailments – everything from diabetes to haemorrhoids to insomnia – that it’s hard to differentiate fact from fiction. Kangkung won’t cure the economy but the water spinach is certainly full of nutritional goodness: A 100g serving contains water (90%), protein (3%), fibre (3%), fat (0.9%), carbohydrate (4.3%), minerals (2%), nicotinamide (0.6mg), riboflavin (120mg), vitamin C (137mg) and vitamin E (11mg). It also contains carotene, amino acids including polyphenol (an antioxidant), and minerals such as potassium, iron and magnesium. All this makes the humble vegetable a veritable superfood. It’s simply a matter of time before we’re juicing it. On a final note, here’s a progressive remake of a musical tribute to the kangkung. Additional reporting by Lennard Gui |
shernazz posted on 15-1-2014 02:06 PM
ada apa dengan kangkung?
kangkung goreng belacan saja laaa..
basuh bersih2 kangkung...takut dalam batang kangkung tersembunyi sesuatu contohnye lintah 
solstice posted on 15-1-2014 02:15 PM
Seronok lah Najib kalau rakyat sakit makan kangkung ye
reeny posted on 15-1-2014 02:25 PM
citer pasal kangkung tk habis lagi..
magnus posted on 15-1-2014 02:33 PM
Kangkung ni celur sekejap..makan dgn sambal belacan pun sedap.. makan dgn nasi lemak pun ok...asik g ...
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