This classic Vietnamese soup is light and refreshing. It features sweet leaf (rau ngót) and pork ribs, but it’s easily adaptable with other classic, quicker-cooking protein alternatives like ground pork or shrimp.
It makes a delicious, nutrient-dense side dish that pairs perfectly with steamed jasmine rice. Serve it alongside your favorite braised dish for a more complete, family-style meal.
What is Rau Ngót?
Rau ngót is commonly known in English as sweet leaf, katuk, or star gooseberry leaves.
It is a tropical, leafy green shrub native to Southeast Asia. The leaves are edible but the woody stems are not, so the leaves must be stripped from the stems before cooking.
The term “sweet leaf” is a bit confusing because I don’t find the leaves to be sweet at all. I suspect it might be a misinterpretation of the Vietnamese word ngọt and ngót when written without accent marks.
Ngọt (with a heavy/drop tone) means sweet while ngót (with a rising tone) means to shrink or wilt.
This is exactly what happens when you cook a large pile of these leaves. They shrink down to almost nothing, just like spinach.
Rau ngót is not sweet, not in the slightest. Rather, it has a mildly nutty, earthy flavor, somewhat similar to spinach, but with a firmer texture.
Because of the firmer texture, it actually needs to be cooked down a bit longer than regular spinach.
This is also why Vietnamese cooks traditionally like to scrunch or aggressively massage the leaves before adding them to the pot, but I don’t find that really necessary.
What You Will Need
To make Canh Rau Ngót, gather the following ingredients:
- Rau Ngót (Sweet Leaf): You’ll need about 1 bundle. You might have a hard time finding rau ngót in Asian grocery stores. You might have better luck in a Vietnamese grocery stores or from a Vietnamese friend who has it growing in their yard. If you can’t find it, substitute with regular spinach or Malabar spinach (mồng tơi), which has a similar texture. If using these substitutes, keep in mind that they don’t take nearly as long to cook as rau ngót and only need a quick blanch.
- Protein: I’m using small pieces of pork ribs here, but you can easily swap in ground pork for a quicker-cooking option. Ground chicken or ground beef also work great, or you can omit the meat entirely.
- Aromatics: Fresh minced garlic or shallots for the soup’s fragrant base. If you don’t have shallots, the white parts of green onions work nicely.
- Seasonings: A blend of fish sauce, salt, sugar, ground black pepper and chicken or pork bouillon powder (or MSG) perfectly balances the broth. If you prefer not to use bouillon powder or MSG, simply omit them and adjust with additional salt to taste. Just keep in mind it might not taste exactly like the traditional versions.
How to Make Canh Rau Ngot
Step 1: Prep the greens and aromatics
Strip the leaves from the stems by running your pinched fingers down the stems. Wash the leaves while gently scrunching them to help them soften faster during cooking. Drain and set aside.
Peel and finely dice the garlic and shallots. Set aside as well.
Step 2: Sauté the aromatics
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: Pan fry the protein
Add the small pieces of pork ribs or your protein of choice like ground pork.
I did one small hunk of pork ribs here but I don’t recommend because it took longer to become tender.
Toss pork ribs (or ground meat) with the toasted aromatics and cook until lightly browned on the outside.
Step 4: Make the stock
Pour in the water and bring it to a gentle boil. Let it cook until the ribs are tender (about 30 minutes depending on size). You can test them by piercing the meat with a fork or chopstick. If it pierces easily, it’s done.
If using a quicker-cooking protein like ground meat, this boiling step will only take only 10 minutes.
Step 5: Season the stock
Season the stock to make it into a delicious broth. Add fish sauce, salt, sugar, bouillon powder, and ground black pepper, a little at a time to taste.
Step 6: Add vegetables
Add the sweet leaf to the boiling broth. Let it cook for about 8 minutes, or until the leaves reach your preferred texture.
Step 7: Serve
Ladle the hot soup into a large bowl. Crack more black pepper for an aromatic finish and serve alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Optionally, pair the soup with your favorite braised dish for a more complete, comforting Vietnamese home-cooked rice meal.
Storage & Reheating
Allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature before storing. This prevents condensation, which can lead to faster spoilage.
Transfer the cooled soup into airtight containers, or simply store it in the fridge in the original pot with a lid. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, pour the soup into freezer-safe containers, 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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Authentic Vietnamese Sweet Leaf Soup (Canh Rau Ngót)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Bring authentic Vietnamese comfort food to your table with this easy side soup. This recipe features hand-scrunched sweet leaves (also known as katuk) in a savory, steaming pork broth (though you can easily swap in your favorite protein). Serve it alongside steamed rice and other side dishes for a taste of home.
Ingredients
- 6 oz sweet leaf / rau ngot (1 bundle)
- 8 oz pork ribs cut into small segments (or choice of meat)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small shallot minced (can sub with whites of green onions)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons chicken or pork bouillon powder (or 1 teaspoon MSG)
- 1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 quart (4 cups) water
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
Instructions
- Prep the greens and aromatics: Strip the leaves from the stems by running your pinched fingers down the stems. Wash the leaves while gently scrunching them to help them soften faster during cooking. Drain and set aside. Peel and finely dice the garlic and shallots. Set aside as well.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat a little oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the minced garlic or shallots and sauté until fragrant (about 20 seconds).
- Pan fry the protein: Add the small pieces of pork ribs or your protein of choice like ground pork. Toss pork ribs (or ground meat) with the toasted aromatics and cook until lightly browned on the outside.
- Make the stock: Pour in the water and bring it to a gentle boil. Let it cook until the ribs are tender (about 30 minutes depending on size). You can test them by piercing the meat with a fork or chopstick. If it pierces easily, it’s done. If using a quicker-cooking protein like ground meat, this boiling step will only take only 10 minutes.
- Season the stock: Season the stock to make it into a delicious broth. Add fish sauce, salt, sugar, bouillon powder, and ground black pepper, a little at a time to taste.
- Add vegetables: Add the sweet leaf to the boiling broth. Let it cook for about 8 minutes, or until the leaves reach your preferred texture. Scrunch them into the boiling liquid a handful at a time (optional but that’s how it’s done traditionally)
- Serve: Ladle the hot soup into a large bowl. Crack more black pepper for a aromatic finish and serve alongside steamed jasmine rice. Optionally, pair the soup with your favorite braised dish for a more complete, comforting Vietnamese home-cooked rice meal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish, Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
