Ipomoea aquatica
Next is what I'm sure is the most popular. In every restaurant you hear people asking the wait staff "有什么青菜 (yǒu shén me qīng cài)？ What greens do you have?" The answer always includes, or may even be limited to "空心菜 (Mand: kōng xīn cài; Cant: hung1 sam1 coi3)."
This one also probably has the most alternative names. In English , water spinach, river spinach, morning glory, water morning glory, water convolvulus, Chinese spinach, Chinese Watercress, Chinese convolvulus, swamp cabbage, ong choy or kangkong.
In Mandarin Chinese, 空心菜 (kōng xīn cài), 通菜 (tōng cài), 通心菜 (tōng xīn cài), 壅菜 (yōng cài), 瓮菜 (wèng cài), 应菜 (yìng cài), 藤菜 (téng cài), 瓮菜及葛菜 (wèng cài jí gé cài), among others.
空心菜 (Mand: kōng xīn cài; Cant: hung1 sam1 coi3) literally translates as 'hollow heart vegetable' to reflect its hollow stems.
Mildly flavoured. this one is, like so many, simply stir fried with garlic and maybe chilli, preferably in lard.
