A street-stall and barbecue-night staple across the Philippines rather than a regionally named dish. Skewered grilling (called inihaw or ihaw-ihaw when meat is involved) is the dominant Filipino outdoor cooking method; vegetable-only versions became more common in the 1990s as urban vegetarian and home-garden cooking grew. Both ube and kangkong are pre-colonial crops in the archipelago.
Skewered ihaw-ihaw is the dominant Filipino outdoor-grill method. Ube and kangkong cook on opposite timers — yam takes 8-10 minutes turning, kangkong wilts in under one. They get separate sticks for that reason.
Chunks of purple yam (ube) and bundles of water spinach (kangkong) threaded onto bamboo, brushed with soy, garlic, and a touch of calamansi, then grilled over charcoal until the yam edges char and the kangkong stems collapse. Eat hot off the stick. The yam goes sweet-starchy; the greens stay grassy and faintly bitter — the contrast is the point.
Ube and water spinach cook on opposite timers, which is why they're skewered separately, not together. Yam needs sustained heat to convert starch and char the surface — eight to ten minutes turning. Kangkong leaves wilt in under a minute and burn shortly after. Pre-blanching the kangkong bundles tightens the strands so they hold together on the stick instead of singeing into ash.
Variations
Quezon City barbecue-row stalls run the soy-calamansi baste; Pampanga adds pork fat to the kangkong bundles; vegetarian-leaning Manila spots like Greenery glaze with banana ketchup; northern Luzon home grills add bagoong as a finishing brush.
On the Palate
Where Grilled Yam and Water Spinach Skewers sits in the Filipino flavor cloud
Ingredients
How it's made
3 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Peel the yam and cut it into thick, even cubes. Coat the cubes in a light drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, ensuring each piece is evenly covered.
Watch outCubes should feel firm and dry with the oil just coating them — no puddling, or they steam on the grate.
- 210 min
Thread the yam cubes onto skewers, alternating with whole water spinach leaves. Brush the skewers with a mixture of soy sauce and minced garlic until they glisten.
- 310 min
Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Place the skewers on the grill, turning occasionally, until the yams are tender and have grill marks, about 10 minutes. The spinach should be wilted and slightly charred.
Watch outYam is done when a skewer slides in easily and the faces carry dark grill marks; the greens are done the second they wilt and edge-char.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
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