Plant atlas Short
Water Spinach: Why the Hollow Stems Stay Crisp
Water Spinach / Morning Glory · ผักบุ้ง · Ipomoea aquatica
Water Spinach / Morning Glory — ผักบุ้ง (phak-bung) — Ipomoea aquatica.
Water spinach — ผักบุ้ง, pak-boong. Its hollow stems stay crisp in a hot wok, and the plant regrows after each cut. You eat the tender stems and leaves, which provide vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate. Pad Pak Bung Fai Daeng flashes them through a hot wok with garlic and chilies; Gang Tay Po simmers them with pork belly in a sour-sweet red curry. Cook water spinach with a little oil to help absorb its beta-carotene. If you're prone to kidney stones, eat it in moderation and cook it, since cooking lowers its natural oxalates.
Pad Pak Bung Fai Daeng — ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง (pad-pak-bung-fai-daeng)
Gang Tay Po — แกงเทโพ (gaeng-tay-po)
Food and nutrients
Rich in: vitamin A, vitamin C, folate
Research context
Water spinach is a leafy green rich in iron and lutein
Sources
Source: We could not find a traceable outcome study for I. aquatica plus macular degeneration or blood oxygenation. General carotenoid-AMD: AREDS2 (JAMA 2013, DOI:10.1001/jama.2013.4997)
Narration transcript
Opening
Those long stems are hollow all the way through, which is exactly why they stay snappy and crisp even after a blast in a screaming-hot wok. Water spinach — ผักบุ้ง, pak-boong. It grows half-floating on ponds and canals, springing back after every cut. You eat the tender stems and leaves, fired with garlic and chili in pad pak bung fai daeng, the flaming morning glory.
Pad Pak Bung Fai Daeng (ผัดผักบุ้งไฟแดง)
For pad pak bung fai daeng, this high-heat stir-fry tosses crispy water spinach with garlic and chilies, eaten hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Gang Tay Po (แกงเทโพ)
This sour-sweet red curry, gang tay po features pork belly and water spinach, eaten spooned over warm jasmine rice.
Nutrition summary
A plate of these greens is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin A, plus some magnesium and folate.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A contributes to normal vision and helps maintain healthy skin and surface tissues.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
Folate
Folate supports normal cell division and blood formation, and plays an especially important role before and during pregnancy.
Closing
This hollow-stemmed green grows on water and regrows after each harvest. If you're prone to kidney stones, go easy and cook it first — it carries oxalates, and cooking brings them down. A little oil in the pan also helps your body absorb its beta-carotene. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
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