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LombokWater spinachCooking technique

Plecing Kangkung: Greens First, Sambal Last

Plecing kangkung

Lombok’s water spinach dish depends on the meeting of tender greens, a juicy tomato sambal and crisp peanuts. Give the stems a head start, drain well and bring the components together just before eating.

SmartRestro editorial 5 min read
Cooked water spinach topped with coarse red tomato sambal and fried peanuts, with rice behind the plate.
Plecing kangkung brings cooked greens, tomato sambal and a crunchy peanut finish to the same plate.

A vegetable with a role of its own

The bite belongs to the kangkung

Plecing kangkung, also spelled pelecing kangkung, is a Lombok specialty of boiled water spinach with a tomato-and-chile sambal. ANTARA’s Mataram bureau places it beside ayam taliwang, while Indonesia’s tourism ministry describes the combination of cooked greens, citrus and fried peanuts served with rice.

The greens matter before the dressing arrives. In a chapter published by Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry, Sumbawa agricultural officers describe the local kangkung prized for plecing as crisp and slow to become soft. For the bunch in your kitchen, aim for fully cooked leaves and stems with some structure. Primarasa starts split stems first, adding the leaves after the stems begin to wilt.

Two components, kept separate

Drainage gives the tomato sambal room to taste of itself. Marvellina’s What To Cook Today recipe explicitly removes excess water from the greens and waits until serving to dress them. Our adaptation follows that assembly principle with a fresh, coarse sambal: the mortar breaks down the tomato, while the colander gets rid of the water used to cook the kangkung.

Wilted water-spinach leaves and cut, split stems draining in a metal colander.
The leaves have collapsed while the cooked stems retain their shape. Drain before adding the sambal.
Coarse red tomato-and-chile sambal with visible pulp and seeds in a low stone mortar.
Crush the tomato into the chile mixture, keeping some pulp texture. Its juice supplies moisture for the dressing.

Peanuts alone, or peanuts with coconut?

Two Indonesian recipes show different ways to finish the same cooked greens.

detikFood: a peanut finish

Lusiana Mustinda’s recipe combines coarsely pounded tomato, chiles, toasted terasi and jeruk limau, then tops the boiled kangkung with fried peanuts. The contrast stays direct: moist greens and sambal underneath, a dry crunch on top. This is the finish used in the recipe below.

Primarasa: coconut joins the peanuts

Primarasa adds dry-toasted grated coconut alongside fried peanuts. Its sambal also uses roasted chiles and a little hot oil. The coconut is toasted separately and sprinkled on at the finish. Follow that preparation if you want coconut as well as peanuts; our adaptation below uses the peanut-only approach.

A home adaptation · 4 side servings · about 30 minutes

Plecing kangkung with tomato sambal and peanuts

This editorial adaptation combines the coarse sambal and peanut finish described by detikFood with Primarasa’s separate stem-and-leaf cooking. It has not been kitchen-tested. The quantities and timing below are a home-kitchen interpretation; ordinary lime juice takes the place of jeruk limau. Use terasi that has already been cooked or toasted and is ready to eat, since this sambal is not heated. Have a large pot, colander and mortar ready.

Ingredients

Greens and finish

  • 400 g kangkung (water spinach), weighed after discarding roots, tough stem ends and damaged leaves
  • 2 litres water, for boiling
  • ½ tsp fine salt, for the cooking water
  • 30 g ready-to-eat unsalted fried peanuts

Coarse tomato sambal

  • 150 g ripe tomato (about 1 medium)
  • 4 red curly chiles, about 30 g, stems removed
  • 2 red bird’s-eye chiles, stems removed
  • 1 tsp ready-to-eat cooked or toasted shrimp terasi, about 5 g
  • ½ tsp finely grated palm sugar
  • ¼ tsp fine salt, for the sambal
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lime juice
Allergens and dietary note Contains peanuts and crustacean shellfish from shrimp terasi. Check the terasi and peanut labels for additional allergens. This version is suitable for a pescatarian diet; the shrimp paste means it is not vegetarian.

Method

  1. 1

    Wash and separate

    Wash the kangkung, tomato, chiles and lime under plain running water before cutting. Keep the kangkung leaves apart from the stems. Split thicker stems lengthwise, then cut the stems into roughly 6 cm lengths. Chop the tomato and chiles into pieces small enough for the mortar.

  2. 2

    Pound the sambal

    Pound both kinds of chile with the terasi, palm sugar and the ¼ teaspoon salt for the sambal. Work them into a rough paste. Add the tomato and crush until its pieces break down but some pulp remains; stir in all the lime juice. Keep this mixture separate from the greens.

  3. 3

    Cook the stems, then the leaves

    Bring the 2 litres of water and ½ teaspoon salt to a full boil in the large pot. Add the stems and boil for about 1 minute, then submerge the leaves. Once the water returns to the boil, cook for about 2–3 minutes more, until both leaves and stems are fully cooked and tender. Thick stems may need longer; check one before draining.

  4. 4

    Drain away the cooking water

    Tip the greens into the colander and let them drain for 2 minutes. Shake the colander, then gently press the greens with the back of a clean spoon to release trapped water without crushing the stems. Transfer to a serving plate.

  5. 5

    Finish at the table

    Stir the sambal once more and spoon it over the greens. Scatter all the peanuts on top and serve immediately. Add rice alongside if you wish; it is a separate accompaniment, not included in this recipe’s yield.

Research notes

Sources and further reading

The local and Indonesian-language accounts establish the dish and its variations. The recipe above is an editorial adaptation of the cited methods.

  1. ANTARA Mataram — Plecing Sayur Kangkung Khas Lombok Local reporting from 25 October 2018: cooked kangkung, tomato-chile dressing with roasted terasi and lime, and service beside ayam taliwang.
  2. Indonesia.travel — Pelecing Kangkung The Ministry of Tourism describes cooked kangkung, tomato sambal, jeruk limau, fried peanuts and rice accompaniments.
  3. Agriculture Ministry — Kangkung Unggul dari Lombok, Renyahnya Sampai ke Hati Chapter by Supardin, Endah Yuniati Prihantari and Fanni Shafiani in Untaian Pemikiran ASN (2022), beginning on printed page 90. Documents the local crop’s texture and use in plecing.
  4. Primarasa — Plecing Kangkung Stem-first boiling, roasted-chile sambal and a finish of fried peanuts with dry-toasted grated coconut.
  5. Lusiana Mustinda, detikFood — Resep Plecing Kangkung Khas Lombok The 6 December 2019 recipe uses a coarse sambal and fried peanuts without coconut; the main reference for our topping and dressing.
  6. Marvellina, What To Cook Today — Lombok Plecing Kangkung A home cook’s separate coconut-based version; consulted for thorough draining and dressing only at serving time.
  7. U.S. FDA — 7 Tips for Cleaning Fruits, Vegetables Current guidance for rinsing produce under plain running water before preparation.

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