Kangkung belacan

Name: Kangkung belacan
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 400 g water spinach, cut into 6 cm lengths, stems and leaves separated; 4 g shrimp paste, toasted; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; 2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped; 3 fresh red chilli, stems removed; 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil; ½ tsp sugar; ¼ tsp salt; 2 tbsp water

Non-vegetarian

Kangkung goreng belacan

Water spinach stir-fried in seconds with a punchy paste of shrimp paste, chilli, garlic and shallots — the most ordered vegetable at any Malaysian zi char stall.

Kangkung belacan is a Malaysian side dish, ready in about 15 minutes and made with water spinach and shrimp paste. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 5 min
Total: 15 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 99

Ingredients

4 servings

400 g Water spinach (opens in a new tab), cut into 6 cm lengths, stems and leaves separatedSwap: Spinach
4 g Shrimp paste (opens in a new tab), toastedContains crustaceans
3 cloves (12 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), peeled
2 (60 g) Shallots (opens in a new tab), peeled and roughly chopped
3 (18 g) Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), stems removed
2 tbsp (27 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)
½ tsp (2 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
¼ tsp (1.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (30 g) Water (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pound the shrimp paste (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), shallots (opens in a new tab) and chillies to a coarse paste.
- 4 min
- Mortar and pestle (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
2
Step 2
Heat the oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) and fry the paste until fragrant and darker.
- 2 min
- medium-high heat
- Wok (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels
3
Step 3
Turn the heat to high, add the stems and toss for 30 seconds, then the leaves, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt and water. Toss until just wilted and serve at once.
- 2 min
- high heat
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Malaysia · Commonly attributedEqually popular in Singapore and Indonesia (cah kangkung).Also popular in Singapore, IndonesiaMore food from Malaysia
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes
Cooking method: Stir-fried
Taste: umami, spicy (chilli heat), garlicky, salty
Diet: Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly · One-pan
Cook more with: Water spinach · Shrimp paste · Garlic · Shallot · Fresh red chilli · Sugar
Techniques: Stir-frying

Allergens

Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

99 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 139 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 12%
Carbohydrate 28%
Fat 59%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	99 kcal	71 kcal
Protein	3.3 g	2.4 g
Carbohydrate	7.6 g	5.5 g
Net carbohydrate	4.9 g	3.5 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0.5 g	0.4 g
Fibre	2.7 g	2 g
Fat	7.1 g	5.1 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	379 mg	274 mg
Salt equivalent	0.9 g	0.7 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 393 mg
Calcium: 90 mg
Iron: 2 mg
Magnesium: 79 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 317 µg
Vitamin C: 64 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 64 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Toast the shrimp paste wrapped in foil in a dry pan to mellow its smell and deepen the flavour.

Common mistakes

Overcooking: the stems should stay crunchy.

Serve with

Serve with rice, fried fish and a curry.

Storage

Best eaten immediately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Sambal belacanPaste

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Water spinach, cut into 6 cm lengths, stems and leaves separated400 g
Fresh red chilli, stems removed3 piece · 18 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

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