Water spinach

Ipomoea aquatica

leaf · vegetable

Hollow stems and arrow-shaped leaves, flash-fried with garlic and shrimp paste or fermented tofu: an everyday vegetable in Asia.

Origin

South and Southeast Asia

Season (United States)

all year round · grows in your region

Preparation

Only the tough base of the stems is cut off. Better cooked: raw, it can carry freshwater parasites.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · Chlorophyll

Did you know?

Its hollow stems float: it grows in ponds and rice paddies, sometimes grown on rafts.