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Home / Courses / Side Dish / Quick Style Kangkung Belacan

Quick Style Kangkung Belacan

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 May 3, 2017 · Updated: 💻May 8, 2021 · 🗨 4 Comments

Recipe ▼

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice.

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

The ever popular Kangkung Belacan needs no introduction. It is a well loved perennial Malaysian stir fry that is absolutely delicious. The cooking itself takes only a few minutes but it does require pounding or blending a spice paste. This can sometimes be a deterrent when you are in a pinch. Thankfully my Mom have you covered.

Busy and Lazy Days

We all have one of those days when we are either running short on time or we simply do not feel like pulling out the blender to make a spice paste. I guess Mom must have had one of those days when she came up with this brilliant idea of a Quick Style Kangkung Belacan. It was easy and took no time at all to prepare. Best of all, it was just as tasty.

As such, I would often do it this way myself. With this recipe, there is no excuse not to use up some of that good ol’ belacan on the kangkung. 😉

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Some Alternatives

You can also add some hae bee (dried shrimps) if you like or keep it simple as is. There is no need to toast the belacan ahead of time because it will be stir fried until fragrant in the wok. No worries if your belacan is already pre-toasted. It would also work for this recipe. Simply stir in a teaspoon of that toasted belacan after adding the garlic to the wok or pan.

Always make sure your kangkung is well washed and drained. A soggy vegetable stir fry is not a good thing. It should be nice and dry with lots of wok hei (breath of wok).


Be light handed when you salt this dish as belacan itself is already quite salty. You probably may not need to add any more salt if you are cooking a smaller batch of vegetables.

Similar Products Used in Making This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.

Asian Kitchen Carbon Steel Wok Stir Fry Pan, 12-inch
Classic Series Carbon Steel Wok, 14-inch
Stainless Steel Professional Wok Turner Spatula

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com
Print Pin Rate

Quick Style Kangkung Belacan

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice.
Author : Linda Ooi
Course : Side Dish
Cuisine : Malaysian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 93kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 red chilies (seeded and cut into pieces)
  • ¾ inch cube belacan
  • 1 lb kangkung / water spinach, cut into 3 inch lengths (450g)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat a wok or large fry pan. Add vegetable oil followed by garlic, red chilies, and belacan. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until belacan is fragrant.
  • Add kangkung/water spinach and salt to taste. Stir fry for another 3 minutes or until vegetables are wilted and cooked.
    Quick Style Kangkung Belacan-6
  • Turn off stove and transfer vegetables to a plate. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @MalaysianChineseKitchen or tag #MalaysianChineseKitchen

Best Serving Suggestions

This tasty Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is best eaten as soon as it is out of the wok with a bowl of rice. Do give it a try.

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

This Quick Style Kangkung Belacan is a twist on a popular Malaysian stir fry made simpler and quicker. Just as delicious with a bowl of rice. | MalaysianChineseKitchen.com

Categories: 🗂 Side Dish, Vegetables, Video Recipes Tags: 📋 kangkung

About Linda

Linda is a food writer and photographer who hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She now lives in Wyoming, USA. Her other blogs are Roti n Rice and Tea Tattler.

Malaysian Chinese Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Comments

  1. Henry says

    February 23, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    Hi Linda, You need 3/4 inch belacan for the Kangkung belacan recipe. Is thuis equal to 1 tablespoon belacan?

    Reply
    • Linda says

      March 1, 2018 at 3:14 am

      It is about 2 teaspoons of toasted belacan.

      Reply
  2. Jeice says

    July 23, 2018 at 9:54 am

    Hi Linda
    Can you please advise me, if I were to add Hae Bee, do I fry it together with the minced garlic, chillies and belacan?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Linda says

      October 11, 2018 at 12:18 pm

      Yes!

      Reply

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