Botanical Name: Ipomoea Aquatica
Some other names: Water Spinach, Swamp Cabbage, Ong Choy, Chinese Watercress and many other local names throughout Asia.
How to Grow It
Kang Kong is a vigorous perennial in the right climate, sprawling and twining to over a metre if conditions are perfect. It has hollow stems and spear-shaped leaves that thrive in heat and moisture, with a growth habit that’s more like a lazy creeping vine than a tidy vegetable.
It’s a tropical to subtropical plant at heart, growing year-round in warm regions, and roaring to life with the arrival of the wet season. In cooler areas, it dies back in winter and resprouts when things warm up. In cold climates, it behaves like an annual with a shorter growing window.
Kang Kong thrives in full sun or part shade, but its most important requirement is water. It loves boggy soil, the edges of ponds, or even shallow water – if the soil’s wet, it’s happy. It’s incredibly easy to propagate: just stick a stem or tip cutting into soil or water, and it will root and grow.
A favourite method is to grow it in closed containers – buckets, troughs, or Styrofoam boxes filled with soil and topped up with water – it’s productive, neat, and water-efficient. It will still reward you in the garden too, but harvest regularly or it can take over.
Herbal & Nutrient Value
Despite how little care it needs, Kang Kong is nutrient dense. A single cup (about 55g) delivers over 50% of your daily Vitamin A, along with big hits of Vitamin C (30% RDI), iron, and calcium – all vital for immunity, blood health, and strong bones.
It’s also rich in potassium for heart health and hydration, plus protein for a green vegetable – unusual for a leaf crop. Traditionally, Kang Kong has been used in Asian herbal medicine as a mild laxative, anti-inflammatory, and even a sleep aid, though much of this remains based on long use rather than hard science.
Traditional & Home Remedies
Liver Tonic Decoction – Boil a handful of leaves in water; drink cooled tea for liver support.
Topical Poultice for Insect Bites – Crush leaves and apply to bites to soothe itching.
Mild Laxative Soup – Water spinach cooked lightly in broth for digestive regularity.
Cooling Juice – Fresh leaf juice taken for fever (folk use).
Skin Wash – Leaves boiled; water used for bathing eczema-prone skin.
Using It in the Kitchen
Kang Kong’s mild young leaves make an excellent salad green, especially when it’s too hot or wet for lettuce to survive. In season, it’s one of those plants you’ll nibble straight from the garden.
As a cooked green, treat it like spinach – it’s great in soups, quiches, curries, and casseroles, but add it near the end for the best colour and texture. The hollow stems are a treat – chop them thick for stir-fries, where they soak up sauces and stay tender and juicy.
Simple recipe ideas:
– Garlic Kang Kong Stir-Fry – sauté stems and leaves in garlic, soy, and a splash of oyster sauce for a classic Asian side.
– Warm Kang Kong Salad – wilt leaves in a pan with sesame oil, toss with lime juice and toasted peanuts.
– Kang Kong Omelette – add chopped leaves and stems to eggs for a fresh, green breakfast.
– Kang Kong Coconut Curry – simmer with coconut milk, ginger, and a few chillies for a creamy, fragrant dish.
– Quick Pickled Kang Kong Stems – slice stems, pack into a jar with vinegar, garlic, and chilli; ready in a day for crunchy pickles.
Other Uses
Kang Kong isn’t just for humans – its high protein content makes it excellent fodder for chickens, ducks, and other livestock (they’ll devour it fresh). Its rampant growth also makes it a brilliant mulch or compost starter – just dry it out before spreading, or it will re-root wherever it lands!
Why it’s a survival plant:
fast-growing, self-replenishing, and incredibly forgiving. Plant it once, and you’ll have fresh greens for months on end – as long as you can keep it watered, it will keep you fed.
