Pickled Water Spinach

Water Spinach cut into pieces for pickle

Water spinach (water convovulos) is a common and popular vegetable which can be either served raw or cooked. Stir fried water spinach and water spinach sour soup with Kroeung (Samlor Machu Kroeung) are the most popular dishes of Cambodian. Especially, water spinach is served together with other fresh vegetables for Num Banh Chok Samlor Khmer, Prohok Khtis, and Teuk Kroeung. But have you ever known that water spinach also can be make into pickle and serve with fried pork, fried chicken or dried fish.

Ingredients:

1. Two bunches of water spinach (about 500g), remove all leaves and the old sterms and cut into 5cm pieces, then wash.

2. 5 cloves garlic and 1 red chilly finely chop (take out the seeds of chilly to reduce the hot taste or keep it if you like hot)

3. 3 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice)

4. 3 tbsp sugar and a little salt

Preparation:

Pickled water spinach

- Dip the water spinach in boiling water on fire, after about 10 minutes, when the water spinach turn into a bit yellow, take it off from fire and take it out into a basket. Immediately put the basket of water spinach under cold running water to make it cold in a short time. So that it will crispy after pickled. Then let it drain.

- After drained, put the water spinach in a container (can be a box with cover), add the chopped garlic and chilly, sugar, salt, vinegar, then mix them well together. Cover it and keep in the fridge. 24 hours later we will have a dish of fresh and cool water spinach pickle. And it can be kept for up to one week in the fridge.

Note: we can add some thin sliced of carrot to pickle with water spinach, it also tastes nice and give the pickle good color.