This classic Vietnamese soup is light and refreshing. It features sweet leaves (rawgot) and pork ribs, but can easily be adapted with other classic, quick-cooking protein alternatives such as ground pork or shrimp.
It makes a delicious and nutritious side dish that pairs perfectly with steamed jasmine rice. Serve with your favorite stews for a more complete family-style meal.
What is Lau Got?
Lau ngot is commonly known as sweet leaf, katuk, or star gooseberry leaf in English.
It is a tropical leafy shrub native to Southeast Asia. The leaves are edible, but the woody stems are not, so the leaves must be peeled from the stems before cooking.
The term “sweet leaves” is a little confusing because I don’t find the leaves to be sweet at all. I think it is a misunderstanding of the Vietnamese ngọt and ngót when written without accent marks.
Ngọt (heavy/falling sound) means sweet and ngót (rising sound) means shrinking or wilting.
This is exactly what happens when you cook these leaves in large quantities. Just like spinach, it will shrink to almost nothing.
Lau Gott is never sweet. Rather, it has a slightly nutty, earthy flavor, similar to spinach, but with a firmer texture.
Because of its tough texture, it needs to be cooked a little longer than regular spinach.
This is also why Vietnamese cooks traditionally like to rub or aggressively massage the leaves before adding them to the pot, but I don’t think that’s really necessary.
what you need
To make Canh Rau Ngót, gather the following ingredients.
Rau Ngót (sweet leaf): You will need about 1 bunch. Loungots can be difficult to find in Asian grocery stores. You might have good luck at a Vietnamese grocery store or hearing from Vietnamese friends who grow them in their gardens. If you can’t find it, substitute regular spinach or Malabar spinach (mồng tơi), which has a similar texture. If you use these alternatives, keep in mind that they don’t take as long to cook as laugnotto and only require a quick blanching. Protein: I’m using small pieces of pork belly here, but you can easily replace it with ground pork for a faster cooking option. Ground chicken or ground beef are also effective. You can also omit the meat completely. Aroma: Fresh minced garlic or shallots provide a base for the aroma of the soup. If you don’t have shallots, you can use the white part of a green onion. Seasonings: Blend fish sauce, salt, sugar, ground black pepper, and chicken or pork bouillon powder (or MSG) to perfectly balance your soup. If you don’t want to use bouillon powder or MSG, just omit them and add salt to taste. Please note that it may not taste exactly the same as the traditional version.
How to make cain la gnoto
Step 1: Prepare vegetables and spices
Peel the leaves from the stem by running your pinched fingers along the stem. Wash the leaves by gently rubbing them so that they soften faster during cooking. Drain and set aside.
Peel and finely chop the garlic and shallots. Let’s put this aside as well.
Step 2: Saute the flavorings
Heat a little oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic or shallots and sauté until fragrant (about 20 seconds).
Step 3: Fry the protein in a frying pan
Add your favorite protein, such as small pieces of pork belly or ground pork.
I made one small chunk of pork ribs here, but I don’t recommend it because it takes a long time to get tender.
Toss pork ribs (or ground pork) with toasted seasonings and cook until lightly browned on the outside.
Step 4: Make stock
Pour in water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer until the ribs are tender (about 30 minutes, depending on size). You can test it by pricking the meat with a fork or chopsticks. If it pierces easily, it’s done.
If you’re using a fast-cooking protein like ground beef, this boiling step will take only 10 minutes.
Step 5: Season the stock
Season the dashi to make a delicious dashi. Gradually add the fish sauce, salt, sugar, bouillon powder, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Step 6: Add vegetables
Add the sweet leaves to the boiling soup. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the leaves reach your desired texture.
Step 7: Provide
Pour hot soup into a large bowl. Season with more black pepper for a more fragrant finish and serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Optionally, pair the soup with your favorite stew for a more complete and comforting Vietnamese home-cooked meal.
Storage and reheating
Allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature before storing. This prevents condensation, which can speed up spoilage.
Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container or store it in the refrigerator with the lid on. Stays fresh for up to 3 days.
For long-term storage, pour the soup into a freezer-safe container, leaving a little space at the top for expansion.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating.
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explanation
This easy side soup brings authentic Vietnamese comfort to your table. This recipe uses hand-crushed sweet leaves (also known as katuk) in a flavorful steamed pork broth (but you can easily substitute them with your favorite protein). Enjoy the taste of home cooking with rice or other side dishes.
Prepare vegetables and aromatics. Peel the leaves from the stem by sliding your fingers along the stem. Wash the leaves by gently rubbing them so that they soften faster during cooking. Drain and set aside. Peel and finely chop the garlic and shallots. Let’s put this aside as well. Stir-fry the herbs: Heat a small amount of oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic or shallots and sauté until fragrant (about 20 seconds). Stir-fry protein: Add small pieces of pork belly or your favorite protein, such as ground pork. Toss pork ribs (or ground pork) with toasted seasonings and cook until lightly browned on the outside. Make the stock: Pour water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer until the ribs are tender (about 30 minutes, depending on size). You can test it by pricking the meat with a fork or chopsticks. If it pierces easily, it’s done. If you’re using a fast-cooking protein like ground beef, this boiling step will take only 10 minutes. Seasoning the stock: Add seasoning to the stock to make a delicious stock. Gradually add the fish sauce, salt, sugar, bouillon powder, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add vegetables: Add sweet leaves to the boiling soup. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the leaves reach your desired texture. Add a handful at a time to the boiling liquid (optional, but this is the traditional method) Serve: Ladle the hot soup into a large bowl. For a more fragrant finish, add some black pepper and enjoy with steamed jasmine rice. Optionally, pair the soup with your favorite stew for a more complete and comforting Vietnamese home-cooked meal.
Preparation time: 5 minutesCooking time: 40 minutescategory: Side dishes/Soupmethod: Stovecooking: asian, vietnamese
(Tag translation)canh
