Have You Ever Tasted Spicy 'Plecing Kangkung'?



Arisarmu - Talking about local food in Lombok, a paradise island for holiday seekers in West Nusa Tenggara, is almost endless. From a various of delicious dishes made from fish, chichen, beef, and even vegetables with some of them tend to be spicy which is the typical of cuisines in the region, such as Plecing Kangkung. It is just one of some famous food you should taste when you are in Lombok.


Almost all of Indonesian people have ever eaten Kangkung, it's an Indonesian word for water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), and in Lombok there are many restaurants sell menu made from this veggie, such as stir fry Kangkung, Urab Kangkung (steamed kangkung with spicy grated coconut), Pecel Kangkung (steamed kangkung with sweet and spicy peanut sauce). However, the most famous one is arguably Plecing Kangkung.

Based on the place where Kangkung grows, this East Indian origin can grow well on muddy ground or allow the vines to float on water or river. The last is commonly found in Lombok which makes Kangkung from this island tastes better compared to other variety that is grown on the squashy land. The crispness of the stems and the leaves are more pleasant. That's way Plecing Kangkung becomes so special.

Kangkung contains high in vitamin A, vitamin C and some essential minerals; they are potassium, calsium, magnesium, iron and phosphor. However it's low in calorie and this vegetable is also believed to have antioxidant to help protect the body and to fight the free radicals that can promote some diseases as well as rapid ageing.

Like other regions within the Indonesian archipelago, the native inhabitants in Lombok whom we called Sasak people love to add chili in their daily cooking. Chili is believed to stimulate appetite. It can be mixed during cooking process or served it separately as Sambal or chili paste. You can experience hot local salad in Plecing Kangkung.

When I was on my way to Mataram, I dropped by at a food stall to have dinner. One of the dishes which I ordered was Plecing Kangkung.  It cost merely IDR 10K (USD 0.70). It consisted of steamed Kangkung, steamed bean sprouts, fried peanuts, fried tofu, fried tempeh, grated spiced coconut, sliced cucumber with hot chili paste on the top which made from chili, tomato, shrimp paste, salt, sugar and lime. It's really fresh and yummy, especially for you who love spicy food, and it's suitable to accompany steamed rice along with the tasty Ayam Taliwang or Bebalung.



Words in This Story


squashy (adj) - having soft consistency, soft and wet.

crispness (n) - hard but easily breakable, brittle.

antioxidant (n) - a substance which slows down the damage that can be caused to other substances by the effect of oxygen.

disease (n) - an illness which affect people, animals or plants, for example one which is caused by bacteria or infection.

appetite (n) - a natural desire to satisfy a bodily need, especially for food.