Water Spinach Salad Vegetarian - Indonesian Style

Water spinach, known as kangkung in Indonesia and Malaysia, is a leafy green veggie commonly stir-fried or added to fried rice. In Indonesia, I enjoyed it in a salad. As a fan of Indonesian cuisine, water spinach salad - known as Urap Kangkung Jawa or simply urab kangkong - delights my palate (MOUNT MERAPI JEEP TOUR). 

 

Back home, I’ve experimented with making it in various styles, including a vegetarian version. It’s a simple yet flavorful dish that involves blanching the water spinach. For the kerisik (grated and pan-fried coconut), store-bought versions make cooking easy (YOGYAKARTA WONDERS & TASTES). 

Water spinach salad or urap kangkung offers an ultimate perfect balance of softness and crunch, with a touch of heat from chilies and a creamy, nutty texture from the dried kerisik.

Ingredients
1 bunch kangkung - pluck the leaves, blanch in hot water to soften, and pat dry 
¾ cup grated and pan-fried coconut/kerisik
4 red chilies - lightly pounded
Bird's eye chilies - lightly pounded
4 shallots - lightly pounded
5 garlic cloves - lightly pounded
Palm sugar/Gula Melaka  - to taste
Salt - to taste
Lime juice - to taste

Method

Toss and stir all ingredients together until well mixed.