The royal vegetable is a type of vegetable that looks like a bunch of grass but is very nutritious. This vegetable used to be considered a famine crop but is now elevated to the status of a specialty, with a price of 500,000 VND/kg that attracts buyers.
Characteristics of royal vegetable
The royal vegetable is also known as cong soi vegetable, sea weed vegetable, dry reed vegetable. It is believed to have originated from Jiangsu Province, China. Nowadays, the royal vegetable is widely grown everywhere. In Vietnam, the royal vegetable is grown in coastal areas such as Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh… The royal vegetable can be harvested about 2 months after sowing.
The notable feature of this vegetable is that it cannot adapt to fresh water, the stem has paired leaves, two branches, and a root-like structure. The royal vegetable is soft but chewy, usually the size of a pinky finger or larger. Typically, the royal vegetable season starts in April lunar calendar every year, but it is available year-round in the form of fresh vegetables, dried vegetables, and pickled vegetables.
The royal vegetable is high-priced but loved by many people
This vegetable can be preserved by sun-drying. When dried, the vegetable shrinks and becomes light, resembling a bunch of grass. When used, you just need to soak the vegetable in cold water for a few hours, and it will quickly regain its original shape and retain its nutritional value. This type of vegetable can be processed into many dishes such as boiling, stir-frying, making salads, pickling… and it is very delicious.
This grass-like vegetable is very nutritious. In the past, the royal vegetable was classified as a super food only for kings and nobles, used to supply the court. Therefore, people call this vegetable the royal vegetable. Nowadays, the royal vegetable has become a familiar food for many housewives, whether fresh or pickled, it is delicious and nutritious.
The highlight of the royal vegetable is that it contains more than 20 minerals and essential amino acids for the body such as protein, pectin, vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, carotene, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and other trace elements. With its important nutrients, the royal vegetable has functions such as cooling, detoxifying, beautifying the skin, anti-aging, digestive support, cardiovascular support, memory enhancement, longevity support, and prevention of tumors.
Currently, the royal vegetable is sold at markets, supermarkets, clean vegetable stores, or online markets in two forms: dried vegetables and fresh vegetables. If fresh vegetables are priced around 35,000-40,000 VND/kg. Dried royal vegetables range from 300,000-600,000 VND/kg.
Delicious with meatball soup cooked with royal vegetable
The royal vegetable can be used to make many delicious and healthy dishes
The meatball soup cooked with royal vegetable has crunchy royal vegetable, a slight sour taste from pineapple, and a sweet taste from the minced meat, simple and delicious for a cozy evening with the family.
Ingredients for meatball soup cooked with royal vegetable:
– 20g royal vegetable
– 1/2 slice of pineapple
– 300g minced meat
– Green onion, cilantro, salt, seasoning powder, sugar, dried onion.
How to make meatball soup cooked with royal vegetable:
Step 1:
– Pour the minced meat into a bowl, add a small spoonful of salt, a little pepper, mix well, marinate for about 10 minutes.
Step 2:
– Soak the royal vegetable, wash it clean, cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3:
– Peel the pineapple, remove the pineapple eyes, slice it into bite-sized pieces.
– Heat a little cooking oil in a pot, sauté the onions until fragrant, then add the pineapple and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, pour about 2-3 bowls of filtered water into the pot, boil for about 10 minutes.
Step 4:
– Use a spoon to scoop the minced meat into round balls, put them in the soup pot to cook with the pineapple, boil until the meat is cooked.
Step 5:
– Season to taste, add the royal vegetable to the pot, cook until it boils lightly, then turn off the heat, do not cook for too long as it will make the vegetable lose its crispness.
