Kho Quet Chay (Vegetarian Mushroom Dipping Reduction), No Added Refined Sugar
Vietnamese dishesSauces and DipsSouthern Vietnam1 hour 30 minutes
Kho quet nam huong chay served with boiled vegetables suits a light rice meal. The hard part is reducing it to exactly the right thickness, since an early stop leaves it thin and a long one turns it harshly salty.
Okra and carrot boiled just to tenderness taste sweetest against it. A tablespoon of rice cooking water gives the reduction a natural body without any starch. Dried mushrooms need the full hour of soaking, then several squeezes and rinses to clear their raw smell.
This batch weighs about 730g, at roughly 35 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak 50g dried mushrooms in water for 1 hour until they open up, then squeeze and rinse them several times until clean.
Fry 1 tablespoon leek until fragrant, add the mushrooms cut into bite sized pieces and stir them briefly.
Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1 tablespoon rice cooking water. Stir well, then reduce over low heat until thick.
Boil 500g young okra and 1 carrot until just tender, and serve them alongside for dipping.
Tips
A tablespoon of rice cooking water gives the reduction a natural body with no starch needed.
Soak the dried mushrooms for the full hour, then squeeze and rinse them several times to clear their raw smell.
One tablespoon of dark soy sauce is enough for the color, since a heavy hand turns the reduction black and bitter.
Keep the heat low and the spoon moving so the reduction does not catch on the base.
Lift the okra out the moment it is tender, since longer in the water turns it slimy.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.