A FLOOD of water spinach is saturating the vegetable markets; the deluge should continue unabated for another three months, certainly until October.
Look for water spinach, or ong choi as it is known in Cantonese, in two forms: as a robust, light green leafy vegetable, with conspicuous hollow stems about 11/2 cm in diameter (soi ong choi); or as a rather more limp, darker-coloured green with thin hollow stems (hon ong choi). The hollow stem is a key characteristic; the arrowhead-shaped leaves on stalks and the long stems without roots should help distinguish it from other summer greens.
This is one of the most popular and inexpensive vegetables, found exclusively in the summer, when it is served in homes and restaurants from street stalls to seafood palaces.
Cooked with garlic, chilli, oil, and piquant beancurd cheese, it becomes a delicacy which can even make people look forward to hot weather.
Water spinach is grown and eaten throughout Southeast Asia. In Taiwan it is known, in Mandarin Chinese, as kong hsin tsai, or the empty-hearted vegetable; in Malaysia and Indonesia it is known as kang kong.
Botanically this is a member of the morning glory family, with the nearest edible relative being the sweet potato. It has a mild flavour and smooth texture; its most outstanding and endearing gastronomic feature is the contrast in texture between stem (crunchy) and leaves (limp) when cooked.
Buying and storage: Within either variety the shorter the stalks and the larger the leaves at the tip, the more tender. For both, wet rot is the single greatest problem in handling and storage.
