Sambal Kang Kong

Is it me or do you also find that stirfried leafy greens are just so hard to photograph? They are always a mangled mess, flopped onto a plate/bowl and lacking the "wow" factor visually? Right after I dished this fiery Sambal Kang Kong out of the wok and into the bowl, I literally drew a deep breath before I started snapping pics. I'd never been able to get satisfactory shots of leafy greens (so many veggie dishes gone unblogged!) and I kept my fingers crossed that I would at least get some decent ones this time.

Here they are. Nothing spectacular, but at least they are blog-worthy. Trust me, they taste a lot better than they look. And even more delicious (with steaming hot rice) on a cold, rainy day.


I bought 2 large bunches of kang kong for the "princely" sum of $1 ... imagine that!


While I pound most of the dried shrimps, I like to leave some whole, for crunch.

Recipe
- 2 huge bunches of kang kong (I think it was about 1kg)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cloves shallots, sliced
- 1 handful dried shrimps (soaked briefly, and don't discard the water)
- 2 heaped tbsp sambal (homemade or storebought)
- 4 tbsp oil *
- 1 tbsp sugar *
* Note: I have been taught time and time again by seasoned cooks, that oil and sugar are must-have ingredients for kang kong. I've always abided by that advice.

Pound these up roughly:
- 1 to 2 red chillies (don't deseed if you like it spicy)
- 1 thumb sized piece of belacan, toasted lightly

1. In a wok, heat oil. Add shallots and fry till they have turned translucent. Add dried shrimps and continue frying till fragrant. Add garlic and fry briefly.

2. Add in the sambal and pounded chillies + belacan. Fry briefly as you mix everything up.

3. Throw in the kang kong and mix them well with the paste. Add sugar. The leaves will wilt as you cook. Add the soaking water (for the dried shrimps) that you have kept aside, if it's too dry.

4. Add some salt to taste. Keep stirring and frying until kang kong is cooked. Don't overcook, though. They should still be green and crunchy despite the wilted appearance. Serve immediately.


I would not eat kang kong cooked any other way. The spicier the better.

To make up for the blah kang kong photos, here are some pics of my children, having fun at Changi Airport's Terminal 3. They are a lot enjoyable to photograph than stirfried leafy greens, that's for sure!

I had to go to the airport to meet someone, and brought my "little crowd" along. When my kids saw this huge bouncy castle, they went wild. It turned out to be such an enjoyable afternoon for them.


All good things come to those who queue.


They went down the slide in all ways possible. Like this.


Like this and like this.


Bounce, bounce, bounce.


And then it "snowed".


After all that non-stop bouncing (2 rounds totaling 30mins), they still had the energy leftover for sprinting.


This huge Christmas bauble opened up as we were approaching. I think it only opens up at regular intervals. We were lucky.


It played Christmas carols for a while, before it closed back up again.


The airport terminal was prettily gift-wrapped. I still prefer T2 to T3, though.


My littlest showing off his climbing prowess.


And then they marched in single file ... time to go home.