Mồng tơi is a familiar ingredient in daily meals in Vietnam. However, some people dislike its slimy texture. So, how can you prepare mồng tơi without the slime?
1 Properly Prepare Mồng Tơi
Before cooking mồng tơi, it is essential to prepare it correctly. If you are boiling or making soup with mồng tơi, use young leaves and shoots. After cutting the desired amount, wash them thoroughly with diluted salt water or vegetable wash solution.
Avoid rinsing mồng tơi directly under the tap as this can bruise the leaves, leading to a slimy texture when cooked.
When chopping mồng tơi for soup, work quickly and neatly to avoid crushing the leaves.
2 Cooking Mồng Tơi Without Slime
To prevent sliminess in boiled or souped mồng tơi, always wait for the water to reach a rolling boil before adding the vegetable. For boiled mồng tơi, add a pinch of baking soda to the water to retain the green color and enhance its flavor. For soups, season the broth before adding mồng tơi.
Add mồng tơi to boiling water and cook briefly before turning off the heat to prevent sliminess.
Once the water is boiling, add the mồng tơi and cook briefly before turning off the heat to avoid overcooking, which can make the vegetable mushy and slimy.
Mồng tơi dishes are best cooked over medium heat to ensure the vegetable is just cooked and not overdone, preventing sliminess and retaining its texture.
3 Choosing Clean Mồng Tơi
To ensure your mồng tơi dishes are slime-free, start by choosing clean, chemical-free, and growth enhancer-free mồng tơi for the best flavor and your health.
Purchase mồng tơi from reputable stores, vendors, or supermarkets to ensure the vegetable’s traceability and safety.
Explore these delicious mồng tơi recipes:
- Mồng tơi soup with shrimp
- Stir-fried mồng tơi with garlic
- Mồng tơi and crab soup
- Mồng tơi and tofu soup
We hope these tips help you prepare delicious mồng tơi dishes without the slime! Good luck and happy cooking!