Water spinach
Water spinach is a tender leafy vegetable used fresh or cooked in stir-fries, soups, and vegetable dishes.
About Water spinach
Water spinach is a tender leafy vegetable with hollow, crisp-to-soft stems and narrow or arrow-shaped green leaves. It is commonly sold fresh in bunches, with both leaves and young stems used, and is commonly stir-fried with aromatics or sauces or added to soups, broths, and other vegetable dishes.
It has a mild, grassy flavor that takes on seasonings readily. Light cooking can leave the hollow stems with some bite while softening the leaves; longer cooking makes the vegetable softer. Mature stems can be more fibrous than young stems, so texture depends partly on maturity and trimming.
Fresh bunches, trimmed pieces, and cooked preparations are common forms. It may be sold with leaves and stems together or cut before cooking. Stir-frying, simmering, or adding it to broth changes the fresh crispness and produces a softer, more integrated vegetable texture.
- Ingredient type
- whole food
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See local namesWhere water spinach appears
6 linked foodsFind foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.
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Sides
Soups
Salads
Breakfasts
Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.
Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.
Local names for water spinach
Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.
空心菜
kōng xīn cài
rau muống
kangkong
ong choy
water spinach
空心菜
kōngxīncài
kangkung
kangkung
kangkong
ผักบุ้ง
phak bung
ត្រកួន
trɔkuən
কলমি শাক
kolmi śāk
कलमी साग
kalmī sāg
空心菜
kūshinsai
공심채
gongsimchae
කංකුං
kankun
liseron d’eau
espinaca de agua
espinafre-d’água
Wasserspinat
waterspinazie
kūshinsai
Romanised form
Water dropwort(Minari), Leaf, Raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Water dropwort(Minari), Stem, Raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Water dropwort(Minari), Whole, Blanched
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Water dropwort(Minari), Whole, Raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Water dropwort(Minari), Whole, Steamed
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Water Spinach, Leaf, Blanched
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
Water Spinach, Leaf, Raw
Search alias · Not a confirmed translation
trɔkuən
Romanised form
gongsimchae
Romanised form
kolmi śāk
Romanised form
kankun
Romanised form
kōngxīncài
Romanised form
kalmī sāg
Romanised form
phak bung
Romanised form
Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.
Name not available yet.
A name in English has not been added for water spinach. Choose another language to see its available names.
Water spinach nutrition & diet
Water spinach nutritional value
Water convolvulus,raw
Per 100 g of the edible portion in the recorded food form.
- Calories
- 19kcal
- Protein
- 2.6g
- Carbs
- 3.1g
- Fat
- 0.2g
Reference values for the specific food form shown. Other varieties, brands and preparations can differ.
Portions & preparation
Match the reference to edible water-spinach leaves and tender stems, distinguishing raw, blanched, steamed, or stir-fried portions. Cooking can involve oil, sauces, or broth, so record whether these remain with the served vegetable. Do not substitute another leafy green or a packaged mixed-vegetable product.
Compare the right form: Reference must match water spinach leaves and tender stems, identifying raw or cooked form and whether cooking liquids or sauces remain.
Diet considerations
Water spinach is plant-derived. Plain leaves and stems differ from preparations containing fish sauce, shrimp, meat, eggs, dairy, oil, or cereal-based seasonings. Fried or coated versions require the added ingredients to be assessed separately. The vegetable’s carbohydrate pattern is portion- and recipe-dependent, particularly in noodle, rice, batter, or sweet-sauce dishes.
AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.
Dietary compatibility
- VeganNot established
- VegetarianNot established
- PescatarianNot established
- KetoNot established
- PaleoNot established
- Low-carbNot established
- HalalNot established
- KosherNot established
What these diet assessments mean
- Vegan · Not established
- The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
- Vegetarian · Not established
- The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
- Pescatarian · Not established
- The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
- Keto · Not established
- A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
- Paleo · Not established
- The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
- Low-carb · Not established
- A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
- Halal · Not established
- Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
- Kosher · Not established
- Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.
For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.
AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.
Sources & review
Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central — Water convolvulus,raw ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.
Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.
The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.
Last recorded verification: .