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Saturday, October 27, 2007

Rau Muong Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Water Spinach)

This recipe came about when I was making Rau Muong Xao Toi Chao (Vietnamese Water Spinach Stir-fried with Garlic and Fermented Bean Curd) and had all these leftover stems.

So I decided to pickle them using the same recipe as my pickled okra. Super simple. Very tasty. Makes a great snack on its own, or as a side dish.

Rau Muong Chua


Rau Muong Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Water Spinach) 

For a 24-oz jar, you'll need:
About 2 cups water spinach stems, cut into 2- to 3-inch sections
1/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup water
2 tsp salt
Half dozen dried chilli pods
1 stem fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill

You don't have to buy water spinach specifically for this recipe. Just use the leftovers when you're sauteing water spinach for other recipes.

Trim the too-tough stems of water spinach, and save the slightly-tough, but still pliable stems. Cut into 2- or 3-inch sections. Wash thoroughly.

Place stems into a 24-oz jar with 1 stem of fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill, and a few dried chili pods.

Bring a pot of 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup water, and 2 tsp salt to a rapid boil. Pour the boiling water into the jar.

Immediately tighten the lid. You should hear a "pop," which indicates the jar is sealed.

Pickles should be ready to eat after 3 days, or up to one week if you'd like them to be more sour.

Store in refrigerator and the pickles should last for months.

Enjoy!

My other pickle recipes:
Baechu Kimchee (Korean Napa Cabbage Kimchee)  
Bok Choy Kimchee (Korean Pickled Bok Choy)  
Do Chua (Vietnamese Pickled Stuff ie. Carrots and Daikon)  
Gaennip/Kaennip Kimchee (Korean Pickled Sesame/Shiso/Perilla Leaves)  
Ggakdugi Kimchee (Korean Pickled Radish/Daikon)
Pickled Grapes

11 comments:

  1. so i'm pretty picky about my pickled stuff. and i was just thinking the other day that i really ought to learn how to make my own do chua, and of course you have a whole slew of different pickled recipes to choose from! :) do have jars and jars of these things in your fridge?

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  2. I've only eaten water spinach stir fried with fermented bean curd. Have to give this a try.

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  3. Lan,
    I have an entire shelf in my fridge of just pickles and various mam. I was thinking about blogging about it...

    KC,
    I usually just make water spinach with fermented bean curd too.

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  4. Is water spinach sometimes called slippery vegetable? If so, I'm in luck because there is always an abundance at the farmer's market.

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  5. B&S,
    Slippery vegetable is malabar spinach, otherwise known as mong toi in VNese. I'm not sure if you can pickle malabar spinach. My grandma always just made it into soup.

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  6. I see, then I will be looking for water spinach in the near future. Thanks!

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  7. B&S,
    So many spinach greens in translation that it's easy to get confused.

    ReplyDelete
  8. How interesting! I've never had picked water spinach before, but I love pickled mustard greens.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jane,
    I love pickled mustard greens too. I like them plain and I love them in braised dishes to balance out the sweetness.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you Soooo much. I just finished cleaning a bunch of on choy and chopped the stems. I was thinking of making pickles and you have just confirmed it will work. but I think I will make them a little more spicy and add some garlic and a little sugar.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Juanagrafica,
    Spicy and garlicky is good! I love pickles with a bite.

    ReplyDelete

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