Crispy Kangkong (Kangkong Chips)

Method

1. Choose fresh commercially sold kangkong. Separate the leaves from thick stems, wash thoroughly in potable running water and spin or pat completely dry. Water clinging to leaves both dilutes batter and makes frying oil spit. Save usable stems for another cooked dish.
2. Place a rack over a tray for draining. Heat oil in a deep heavy pan to 175°C, with the pan no more than half full. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and garlic powder in a bowl; keep the water very cold until the oil is ready.
3. Pour in the cold water and stir briefly with a fork, stopping once there are no large pockets of dry flour. Small lumps are fine. The batter should leave a thin translucent coat on a leaf, not a thick blanket. Add the extra water a teaspoon at a time if necessary.
4. Hold one dry leaf by its thin stem, dip into batter and allow excess to drip off. Lower it carefully into the oil away from you. Repeat with only enough leaves to float separately in one layer; crowded leaves stick together and trap steam.
5. Fry for about 45–90 seconds, turning once if needed, until bubbling subsides and the coating is crisp and pale gold. Do not wait for the leaf itself to turn dark brown. Lift with a slotted spoon and drain on the rack rather than piling onto soft paper.
6. Let the oil recover to 175°C between batches. Stir the batter lightly if starch settles and keep it cold by resting its bowl over ice. Remove loose batter crumbs with a strainer before they burn. Fry remaining leaves in the same small batches.
7. Serve immediately with vinegar in a separate dipping bowl. These are at their best within minutes and are not a make-ahead stored chip. If a batch softens while you finish, give it 3–4 minutes on a rack in a 150°C oven; discard leftovers that have sat warm for hours.