An American (foodie) inspired by China

[ulterior epicure]

I've been inspired by my recent trip to China. Eating my way through that amazing culture and country has prompted me to get cookin' Chinese.

To get started, I went to the Asian market to gather somethings. I encountered a mystery herb - or greenleaf.

What is this? At first glance, it looked like cilantro - but then the leaves weren't lobed and they were way too big and thick.

Then, I thought it was small watercress - but that doesn't seem quite right either. The leaves are fanned out, like a gingko leaf. I didn't know how to cook it, so I stir-fried it in a wok with some oil and garlic and salt. It was BITTER. VERY BITTER.

Can anyone name this green-leaf?

P.S. The beef tendons and tripe are braising in the oven with Saoxing wine, soy, garlic and ginger as we speak!

Edited August 27, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[gfron1]

I am green deprived here in the desert but it reminded me of a drink I had a while back - pennywart. Now, let those with real markets give you the final answer!

[BonVivant]

in VN they like pennywort (called Rau Ma in Vietnamese, otherwise Centella Asiatica) in a sweet frothy drink with crushed ice. very refreshing. thought to have medicinal uses [purifying the blood, improve circulation etc.]. i just thought it was very refreshing one hot afternoon in Rach Gia while waiting to board the speedboat for Phu Quoc island.

can be cooked with some garlic and shallot but in VN i've only seen it sold as a drink by roadside vendors.

[ulterior epicure]

Thanks guys - I googled pennywort and I think you are certainly right! Hmmmm, pennywort smoothie - I'll have to try that!

u.e.

[gfron1]

I'm still not 100% convinced it is pennywort. I did a google search for images and it certainly looks like the same family, but I didn't find any pictures that were identical to yours. Plus you said it was very bitter. Like many Asian drinks, the pennywort drink that I had was super super sugary, but I don't remember any bitterness. Surely there is an Egulleter with a PhD in pennywort cuisine!

[Dejah]

This reminds me of the "broken bowl" plant my Mom used to make a cooling soup along with sweet potatoes: "Bung hao wuan chowh"

[hzrt8w]

I agree with Dejah. This plant is called 崩大碗 "bung dai wuan" [Cantonese] in Hong Kong. The literal translation is "big broken bowl". It's gotten the name because the leaves shape like a bowl with one side broken.

Centella Asiatica

Rau-Ma in Vietnam.

Images on Google

Quoting this page:

http://cskiller.mocasting.com/p/41705

新鮮的崩大碗榨汁，加水去煮，就可以飲用，有很濃烈的青草味，但不會帶苦味，一般會加冰糖或蜜糖去調味，夏天喝一碗的確可以消暑解喝。不過也因為崩大碗性...

[Translation] Use the fresh leaves to extract the juice, add water and boil. It is used as a drink. It has a strong grassy taste, but not bitter. Usually you add some brown sugar or honey to flavor it. It can crunch thirsts in the summer.

I love this drink!

[ulterior epicure]

I agree with Dejah.  This plant is called 崩大碗 "bung dai wuan" [Cantonese] in Hong Kong.  The literal translation is "big broken bowl".  It's gotten the name because the leaves shape like a bowl with one side broken.

You got the Mandarin version?

u.e.

[hzrt8w]

I agree with Dejah.  This plant is called 崩大碗 "bung dai wuan" [Cantonese] in Hong Kong.  The literal translation is "big broken bowl".  It's gotten the name because the leaves shape like a bowl with one side broken.

You got the Mandarin version?

←

Sorry I only know the Cantonese naming. In Mandarin dialect they might call it something different in Chinese.

[liuzhou]

崩大碗 is also used in Mandarin - beng1 da4 wan3

There may well be local variations, too.

It is also known as 积雪草 (ji1 xue3 cao3 ) and is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Edited August 28, 2006 by liuzhou (log)

[hzrt8w]

Where I live many Chinese grocery stores are run by Vietname Chinese immigrants, so the selections are typically a Vietnamese/Chinese mix.

However, after browsing a few of them I still could not locate any Rau Ma drink in cans like the ones shown in the picture linked upthread.

I would love to buy some if I find them. Has anybody seen the Rau Ma drink sold in the US grocery markets? They probably didn't bother to import it...

[ulterior epicure]

Where I live many Chinese grocery stores are run by Vietname Chinese immigrants, so the selections are typically a Vietnamese/Chinese mix.

Yup, a few of the ones in my area are Vietnamese run. I haven't looked for the rau ma drink, though.

u.e.

[Dejah]

Where I live many Chinese grocery stores are run by Vietname Chinese immigrants, so the selections are typically a Vietnamese/Chinese mix.

However, after browsing a few of them I still could not locate any Rau Ma drink in cans like the ones shown in the picture linked upthread.

I would love to buy some if I find them.  Has anybody seen the Rau Ma drink sold in the US grocery markets?  They probably didn't bother to import it...

←

Went browsing in Winnipeg today and first thing I saw and picked up was several cans of Rau Ma/Pennywort drink. They're in the fridge as I "speak". Will enjoy a can for you later, Ah Leung.

Then I went searching for another Asian store I had heard about. It is smaller than the one I usually frequent, and caters more to Thai, Malaysian items. I found shiso, mint, Thai basil, Thai chilis, and lo and behold - fresh pennywort! I didn't expect to find it on the prairies!

Now, what will I do with this herb? Won't know until I see my mom tomorrow. She might laugh at me and say why do I bother? Just buy the cans. I seem to remember mom making a sweet soup with pennywort, sweet potato and rock sugar in the summer.

Look what you started! U.E

[ulterior epicure]

Dejah.

Me??? I've got my bag of pennywort still sitting in my fridge. Let me know what your mom tells you to do with it!!

u.e.

[hzrt8w]

Went browsing in Winnipeg today and first thing I saw and picked up was several cans of Rau Ma/Pennywort drink. They're in the fridge as I "speak". Will enjoy a can for you later, Ah Leung.

←

Thanks for the report. Looks like they do import the canned Rau Ma drink into North America. I need to browse some more stores.

[hzrt8w]

Me???  I've got my bag of pennywort still sitting in my fridge.  Let me know what your mom tells you to do with it!!

←

How long can the fresh pennywort last in the fridge?

[BonVivant]

if you're not keen on the sweet frothy drink you might want to try making a simple soup with it. i think in Vietnamese they call it " Canh Rau Ma ". from what i remember it was a bit like watercress soup [not veloute]. if you do make the drink it should be frothy with finely crushed ice and sugar syrup, otherwise it'll taste like sugar loaded tinned stuff. again, it can be stir fried as you would watercress.

[ulterior epicure]

How long can the fresh pennywort last in the fridge?

←

So far a week and counting... it looks like a very hardy plant.

[Dejah]

Well, my attempt at using the pennywort (rau ma) was disappointing. I wonder if perhaps the plant was not mature enough, or picked too long before it reached my hands. When we tasted the leave raw, there really wasn't any distinct flavour: no mint scent, bitterness, just "something" very faint.

My mom said it didn't quite look like the ones she remembered from China. She remembers it having a minty flavour, meaning that when you taste it raw, it had a cooling effect on the tongue.

Anyway, her recipe was to boil it with diced sweet potato and slab of Chinese brown sugar for a "lueng tong sui". She said it should have had a distinct aroma, but there was nothing. All we could taste was a bit of "green" and sugar. We didn't eat it because it might NOT be the right stuff!

As I am writing this, I feel a tingle and scratchy feeling on the tip of my tongue from when I tasted the soup and rau ma. Yikes! I hope it's not like poison ivy or nettles!

So, sorry, gang, I'm a failure with bung dai wuan.

[ulterior epicure]

That's it, mine is going out to the compost first thing in the morn...

[Dejah]

Not sure if it was coincidence or there IS cooling benefit even from the canned sugary rau ma (pennywort) drink, but I was having spotty nose bleeds on Friday from eating so much fried foods and curries last week. It was a good time to try the canned drinks that were in the fridge. In acouple of hours, and since then, I haven't had anymore problems.

The canned drink had a definite flavour - not unpleasant. It had a "cooling" mouth feel. Not something I'd drink on a regular bases, but if it wors, I'll definitely keep cans of it on hand.

[hzrt8w]

I browsed some more Vietnamese/Chinese grocery stores in the area over the weekend. Lo and behold... I finally located one store that carries the canned Pennywort drink. Not just one, but 2 different brands! I immediately bought half a dozen. Then more good news... I found another Vietnamese take-out place that actually makes them fresh! They always carry it but I just didn't notice the drink because the label was only printed in Vietnamese "Ngoc Rau Ma" - and I didn't know what it meant until now. I bought a bottle of the fresh ones too.

Mmm.... the herbal grassy taste of pennywort is unmistakable. I haven't had one for over 20 years... It is not as good as I remember... but memory can be false.

Thanks to this thread that prompted me to renew my interest in this drink.

Edited September 5, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)