Rau dong gone wrong

Rau dong gone wrong

by YankeeJim | May 1, 2011 at 05:43 pm

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Rau Dong gone wrong

I went to HMart this weekend, a Korean-Asian market in Fairfax County Virginia on a recommendation from Phyllis, an artist friend. She shared some ripe mangos from there last week and that enticed us to investigate.

After negotiating the way into the parking lot, (a lot of places in Northern Virginia are ridiculously inaccessible) we grabbed a cart and headed into the huge grocery. It reminded me a lot of shopping in Seoul South Korea, which I love.

I reminded my wife that the refrigerator is full and we need to survey the place and not stock up. I could not resist buying Japanese eggplant, more mangos, key limes, garlic, ginger, radishes and then I saw a bag of something that looked like baby watercress, called rau dong.

I assumed that it would be like watercress and it appeared so fresh that I couldn’t resist.

There is a magnificent fish and meat market in the store. I haven’t seen such a variety anywhere in the DC Metro area. I will have to go back for seafood.

Today, I wanted some kimchi. I also wanted udong noodles and a bag of smoked bonito flakes.

There was a cooking demonstration by a Korean-American woman making undong. She looked in my cart and asked me what I was going to do with rau dong. “Are you Vietnamese,” she asked and laughed?

I answered no, and then she asked, “Do you know how to use it?”

I answered no, and then she said, “Neither do I.”

So, off we went and then when I got home I began to investigate. What to with rau dong. I am not alone as some blogger did exactly as I did.

“Rau Dong

Cruising through a international market I saw a green I had never seen before, which had no English translation. Apparently it's Vietnamese.

So, of course, I bought it.

I was told it's a little bitter, sort of like watercress. What the cashier said is that it's often used on soups, and most of the recipes I've found online reflect that. Raw it is indeed like watercress, only more so. Pleasantly woody but with a real bitter kick after a few seconds.

I'd like to find a use for it more than a sprinkling. I'm thinking (hard to believe, I know) that it might go well sauteed with a little toasted sesame oil, with garlic and toasted sesame seeds and with a little vinegar (coconut vinegar?).

Has anyone here used it and will give me ideas?”

Oh, here is the recipe.

” Tuổi thơ rau đắng

Sau khi làm ở Viện Nghiên cứu huyết học tại Huế, ông nội tôi trôi dạt về miền Tây Nam bộ. Nhà nội tôi ở trong ruộng, trước nhà là con sông lớn, sau nhà đồng lúa mênh mông. Trong vườn nhà, rau đắng lúc nào cũng mọc xanh um.

Mỗi lần ăn phải cọng rau đắng, tôi lại khóc thét lên làm cả nhà nhốn nháo tìm nước cho tôi uống. Cầm chén nước uống lấy uống để mà càng uống thì vị đắng cũng chẳng vơi bớt chút nào. Tôi ngồi khóc rấm rứt, phần vì đắng, phần vì cho rằng do ông nội ghiền ăn rau đắng nên mới ra cớ sự này. Bây giờ ngồi nhớ lại tôi vẫn còn thấy vị đắng nơi đầu lưỡi. Ông mất, tôi cũng tập tành ăn rau, rồi lớn lên rời quê đi học, đi làm biệt xứ. Lâu lâu về thăm nhà vẫn thấy rau đắng mọc đầy sân. Rồi ngậm ngùi nhớ lại những lời an ủi của ông khi tôi khóc vì ăn nhầm rau đắng: “Đắng nhưng rất tốt cho việc giải nhiệt, thông tiểu, nhuận tràng, lở miệng, viêm nha chu, chảy máu răng đó con. Thuốc đắng giã tật mà”.”

That’s no help.

Any ideas?

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