This issue of #LEARNABOUT features a unique vegetable that many people have not heard about: water spinach!

What is water spinach?

Water spinach is spinach that grows in water, right? Actually, not quite. Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) is biologically unrelated to spinach. But, the name comes from the texture and mild taste of its leaves that resemble those of spinach.
Water spinach belongs to the plant family Convolvulaceae, which means "bindweed" in Latin. Two common features you can use to identify plants from the Convolvulaceae family are: (1) all of its plants grow in forms of tender shoots or vines, and (2) if you snip the stems/shoots/vines, a white, milky liquid tends to run out of them.
Morning glories and sweet potatoes also belong to the Convolvulaceae family, if you say that you will never believed that sweet potato is "a type of morning glory", here are the flowers of water spinach, morning glory and sweet potato in order (to blow your mind). And just like how water spinach is biologically unrelated to spinach, sweet potatoes are also biologically unrelated to potatoes.




So the next time when you encounter a "morning glory"-looking plant growing wild, think twice before you decide that it's just a morning glory bush. Also do try snapping the vines with your fingers. You'll see the white, milky fluid running out of them.

Here's another picture of sweet potato vines/greens sitting next to water spinach at a farmer's market.



Water spinach can be spotted in the supermarkets and farmer's markets from one distinguishable characteristic: the stem/shoot/vine is hollow in the center. This is the reason as to why the Chinese call it a "hollow-centered" vegetable, and you might also find them under the name "hollow greens", or "kang kong".

Lastly, water spinach is a very resilient plant and grows easily like weeds (consider how it earned itself an undeserved title of Class A "noxious weed" in the state of Florida). Adventitious roots that branch from nodes on the stems/shoots/vines of water spinach (or, the plant family Convolvulaceae in general) make planting extremely easy. You simply cut a chunk of the stem with some roots and stick it in soil (or a water/soil mixture). Voila, you'll get yourself a water spinach bushel in no time!

What is so special about water spinach?

We can compare the taste and texture of water spinach to that of spinach. Water spinach is similar yet milder than spinach. Its leaves are smooth and soft like spinach, and the stems are chunky like bamboo shoots. This makes water spinach a tad more interesting to eat because it has multiple textures.

However, texture is not the reason as to why water spinach is on its way to becoming a fan favorite. Take a look at the nutrition facts of spinach and water spinach side by side:

Where can I buy it?

How to eat water spinach

• Stir-fry it with chopped garlic and soy sauce. Indeed, this is the most common way of eating water spinach among Asian cuisine. (here's a recipe)
• While cooking, break the long stems/shoots/vines into thirds or quarters. This makes eating them much easier.
• It goes well with everything spinach goes well with, like tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, eggs, etc.

How not to eat water spinach

• It doesn't go well in salads (because of its milder taste and variable texture).
• Try not to overcook it. Water spinach is cooked when it turns vibrant green. If overcooked, the leaves turn into a yellow-green sludge, and the stems lose their integrity/texture. 

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(Image credits 1: clovegarden.com; 2-4:wikipedia.org; 5: foodforfour.com; 6-7: google.com; 8: douguo.com)

What better way is there to kick off our #LEARNABOUT section than by exploring rosewater, after which this blog is named!

What is rosewater? 

Rosewater (as you may have guessed from its name) is simply just rose + water. You may have heard it being referred to as hydrosol. It really has no taste -- it's not sweet, sour, bitter, or tart. What makes this item so special, then? Nothing tastewise, really. However, imagine yourself walking through a sunken rose garden in the summertime, feeling the warmth of the midday sun and a light breeze, inhaling the fragrance of all the roses surrounding you. This is the sensation you'll get when you open a bottle of rosewater or if you bake with it.

Why does rosewater smell so good?

The smell of roses comes from a series of small, naturally occurring alcohol/monoterpenoid molecules like geraniol, citronellol, phenylethyl alcohol, nerol, and linalool. When combined, they are called rose oil, or rose essential oil. (Though, it should really be called rose essential alcohol because it is soluble in water). These oils are also used in the perfume industry to create rose fragrances.

To extract these oils from rose, it requires a lengthy process that involves boiling rose petals with water steam in a copper pot. The oil is then extracted from water through distillation processes. However, we can't extract all the oils from distillation. Thus, some of the essential oils (or essential alcohols) that remain in water is what comprises rosewater!

Where can I buy it?

Rosewater is used heavily and is sometimes required in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine (especially in sweets like nougat, gumdrops, raahat, and baklava) in order to create a distinct taste. It can also be used in baking and in flavoring cocktails or beverages. Furthermore, rosewater used to be very expensive in ancient Persia and Greece and was reserved for the royal family or the privileged upper class. Yet, with the technology that we have today, rosewater is easily acquired at a low price.

The brand that I use is called Cortas (Lebanese). There are other brands, such as Al Wadi (also Lebanese) and Sadaf (Iranian). You can obtain a bottle for less than $4 at any Middle Eastern/Persian store in your area.

How to use rosewater

• The aroma of rose is very strong, and only a little is needed at a time. (A bottle of rosewater has lasted me a year!).
• Add a little to your tea
• Mix it in cocktails. The next time when you make a cranberry vodka for your date, simply add a little rosewater. I promise you that s/he will be intrigued, and ask you what is it that s/he is tasting, then you can have a whole day-long discussion about how you learned this trick from Midnight Rosewater ;). (Here's a recipe for a raspberry rose fizz. But really, you can add it to any cocktail).
• Add it to cake batter when baking.
• Add it to your bath water ('cause why not!)

How not to use rosewater 

• Try not to mix it with jasmine tea (because the floral taste can be too overwhelming).
• For the same concern as with jasmine tea, try not to add it to an already floral cocktail.

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(Image credits 1: suzannerbanks.wordpress.com; 2: honestlyyum.com; 3: commanderzoft.com)