Malabar spinach, known as Rau Mong Toi in Vietnamese is commonly found in Asian supermarkets. They grow on vines with heart-shaped leaves and white blossoms.
They are also known as vine spinach, ceylon spinach or Chinese spinach. The leaves have a mild taste with a somewhat slimy texture when cooked.
In this recipe, I’m cooking malabar spinach with ground beef (canh mong toi nau thit bo bam). It’s a quick and easy soup recipe to go along with steamed rice and other side dishes for a traditional Vietnamese family meal.
Related Post: The Guide to Cooking Perfectly Steamed Rice: Asian Kid Edition
Other Soups You May Enjoy
- Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Baby Spinach
- Vietnamese Mustard Green Soup with Shrimp Balls
- Vietnamese Ground Pork & Chrysanthemum Greens Soup
- Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Shrimp Soup with Pineapple
Popular Dishes to Complete the Meal
- Mongolian Beef Stir Fry with Bell Peppers
- Crispy Salt & Pepper Beef
- Vietnamese Caramelized Pork
- Vietnamese Ginger Chicken
Vietnamese Malabar Spinach & Ground Beef Soup (Canh Mồng Tơi Nấu Thịt Bò Bằm)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
A warm and comforting side soup of malabar spinach and beef. Serve with steamed rice for a complete meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Beef
- 10 oz ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon chicken or mushroom bouillon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic (mince)
- 1 3/4 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon chicken or mushroom bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 lbs malabar spinach (remove woody stems if any and cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare beef: Marinate ground beef with salt, sugar, chicken/mushroom bouillon powder, black pepper and fish sauce for 10 minutes.
- Toast garlic: In a medium stock pot, heat vegetable oil on medium high. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 10 seconds).
- Prepare broth: Add ground beef and stir to mix with garlic. Cook for one minute. Add water and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to low simmer. Skim off any impurities that float to the top. Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Season to taste: Add salt, fish sauce, chicken/mushroom bouillon powder and sugar. Add malabar spinach and cook until tender (5 minutes).
- Finish: Sprinkle the top of soup with black pepper and serve with steamed rice and a protein side dish (see below) for a complete and traditional Vietnamese meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
