Crispy Kangkong

It was through my mom that I got to learn about this dish. She cooked a few leaves of it using egg whites and I did like the taste of it. My mom wasn't able to cook it again (because she rarely cooks anymore), but when I attended the Litratong Pinoy EBaliwan in 2009, I got to eat the dish again and since then I hoped I could cook the dish as well.

Thanks to the Mama Sita cookbook my sister bought, I got the basic idea how to cook it. The recipe printed in the book was quite simple, and using it as my inspiration, I came up with this:




Crispy Kangkong
{serves 4}

Ingredients:

• leaves from 1 bunch kangkong, washed and dried
  
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• salt (to taste)
• pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  
• cold water
• oil for deep frying
  
• ice cubes (stand by / optional)

Ingredients - Dipping Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• vinegar (according to your preference)
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• chili powder (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

How to Cook:

• In a small bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, ground pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt. Add cold water enough to make a thick batter, just like how you make pancakes.
  
• Coat each leaf with the batter and fry until crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve with the dipping sauce.
• To make the dipping sauce, just mix all ingredients together.
  

Notes to Consider:

• When taking out the leaves from the main stem, leave an inch of stem near the leaves so you have something to hold when placing the leaves in hot oil.
• Don't crowd the leaves in the pan while cooking. It is best to not let the leaves touch each other because the batter might stick them together.
  
• The batter has to be real cold, so if you have a lot to cook and the batter isn't cold anymore, get a much bigger bowl, place some ice cubes and put the batter bowl on top of the ice cubes.
  

This dish is a good appetizer, and a good dish to serve your guests while they await for the main course. As for me, I sometimes cook this when I am not in the mood to eat heavy lunch, or if we wanted something a little "special" for snacks. If you're not into kangkong, you can also use spinach for this dish.

*** Jenn ***