← Back to recipes
Plate of adobong kangkong: wilted water spinach in glossy soy-vinegar sauce topped with fried garlic
Tagalog Luzon 10 min prep · 12 min cook 22m total Easy

Adobong Kangkong

Fast Filipino adobong kangkong with lots of garlic, soy, and vinegar—kangkong stems stay crisp, leaves turn glossy and dark.

Serves 4 · 22m total

The Story

Adobong kangkong is what you cook when the rice is done and the palengke bag is mostly greens. Same soy-vinegar-garlic backbone as meat adobo, but kangkong wilts in minutes, so the sauce has to be ready before the leaves hit the pan.

The skill is separating stems and leaves. Stems go in first so they stay snappy; leaves go in last so they do not turn army-green mush. A little pork or shrimp is optional luxury. The everyday version is vegetarian-ish except for the patis optional splash—and it still eats like adobo with rice.

This is the dish that proves adobo is a method, not a meat.

Best paired with

Steamed rice, fried egg, and leftover fried fish.

Use it in these KusinaPH recipes

Adobong SitawChicken AdoboGinisang Ampalaya

Lola's Tips

  • ✦Pick kangkong with crisp hollow stems; limp bunches cook into grass.
  • ✦Do not cover the pan or the greens steam gray.
  • ✦Vinegar should smell sharp in the pan for 30 seconds before you toss the leaves.
  • ✦Serve immediately—kangkong weeps water if it sits.

Substitutions

  • kangkong → spinach in a pinch (softer, less crunch)
  • pork belly → skip, or 100 g shrimp
  • cane vinegar → white vinegar

Ingredients

Servings
4
(recipe for 4)

Instructions

  1. 1

    Wash kangkong well—grit hides in the hollow stems. Cut stems into 5 cm lengths and keep leaves whole or halved.

  2. 2

    Heat oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. If using pork, fry cubes until the fat renders and edges brown, about 4 minutes.

  3. 3

    Add garlic and onion. Saute 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper. Let the vinegar boil 30 seconds without stirring.

  4. 4

    Add kangkong stems. Toss 1 to 2 minutes until they turn bright and slightly tender.

  5. 5

    Add leaves and chili if using. Toss 1 minute until wilted and glossy. The pan should look saucy, not soupy.

  6. 6

    Taste: it should be salty-sour. Serve at once with rice.

Kitchen Timer · 10 min prep first

12:00

Tried this recipe?

Questions, corrections, or a photo of your Adobong Kangkong? We read every message—no comment section, just a direct line to the kitchen.

Contact KusinaPH · hello.kusinaph@gmail.com