Kangkong substitute

Substitutes for Kangkong with ratios

1. 2Bok Choy or Baby Bok Choy

   Different taste

   Use the same amount by weight

   The closest single vegetable.

   What changes

   It has the same two-part structure as kangkong, crisp watery ribs and soft leaves, and it wants the same stems-first treatment, so recipes translate directly with no rethinking.

   Best for

   stir-fries, sinigang and other sour soups, adobo-style greens, noodle soups, steaming

   Prep. Split lengthways, separate ribs from leaves, cook the ribs for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the leaves for the last minute.

   It tastes distinctly of cabbage, sweeter and more mustardy than kangkong's plain green flavour, which is noticeable in a delicate broth. The ribs are flat and solid rather than round and hollow, so they crunch instead of giving that faint squeaky pop kangkong stems have. Baby bok choy is milder and closer.

2. 3Watercress

   Different taste

   Use the same amount by weight

   The best flavour-and-structure compromise in a Western supermarket.

   What changes

   Watercress has slender stems that genuinely stay crunchy in hot liquid, which almost no other leafy green manages, plus small leaves that wilt fast.

   Best for

   sinigang, tinola and other clear soups, quick stir-fries, blanching

   Prep. Trim only the toughest stem ends and add the whole thing to the pot in the last 60 seconds.

   It is peppery, and that pepperiness is the one thing kangkong does not have, so a soup made with watercress tastes brighter and slightly hotter at the back of the throat. In a sour sinigang that works well. In a garlicky adobong kangkong it competes. It also cooks much faster and will go limp if you leave it in the pot.

3. 4Amaranth Greens (Kulitis)

   Different texture

   Use the same amount by weight

   Sold in the same markets as kangkong and one of the closest leaves in taste: mild, soft, faintly earthy and quick to wilt.

   What changes

   If you are shopping somewhere that carries Filipino or Chinese greens, this is often the easiest find.

   Best for

   monggo, sinigang, clear soups, sauteed greens

   Prep. Strip the leaves and tender tips from any thick woody stems and add them all at once, 2 minutes before the end.

   The leaves are right and the stems are wrong. Amaranth stems are soft and collapse completely, so the dish loses all of kangkong's crunch and reads as a soft green stew. Red-stemmed varieties also bleed a purplish colour into a clear broth. Add a handful of sliced celery or water chestnut if the crunch matters.

4. 5Swiss Chard

   Different taste

   Use the same amount by weight

   Structurally a good analogue: broad soft leaves plus thick stalks that stay firm through cooking.

   What changes

   Very widely available, and it holds up in a long-simmered dish better than spinach does.

   Best for

   braised greens, sinigang, monggo, sauteed with garlic

   Prep. Cut the stalks away, slice them 1/4 inch thick and cook them 3 minutes before adding the shredded leaves.

   It tastes earthy and faintly beetroot-sweet, which is a long way from kangkong's plain grassiness, and rainbow or red chard will tint a pale broth pink. The stalks are fibrous rather than juicy, so they crunch drily instead of releasing water the way hollow kangkong stems do. Use white-stemmed chard if you can choose.

5. 6Spinach on Its Own

   Different texture

   Use 1 ½ lb spinach for every 1 lb kangkong

   The honest least-bad single swap, and the one most people reach for.

   What changes

   The flavour is genuinely in the right neighbourhood, mild and green, so a soup or stir-fry will taste correct. The texture is simply not there.

   Best for

   sinigang, monggo, quick sautes, when it is the only green in the shop

   Prep. Add it off the heat or in the final 30 seconds, and do not stir it more than twice.

   Spinach collapses to a small fraction of its raw volume and there is no crunch anywhere in the finished dish, which is the main reason a spinach version of adobong kangkong feels wrong. Use half again as much by weight to end up with a similar amount on the plate, and accept a soft dish. Mature bunched spinach holds up better than baby spinach, which turns to slime almost instantly.