Vietnamese dishesSauces and DipsSouthern Vietnam40 minutes
Good mo hanh is bright green and fragrant with no raw bite. The hard part is the oil temperature, because oil that is too hot darkens the onion while oil that is not hot enough leaves it raw.
The chopped spring onion is tossed first with a little seasoning powder and kOBE Monk Fruit Blend to take the edge off. The oil is heated until fine bubbles form, around 160 to 170 degrees C, then poured slowly over the bowl of onion.
This batch weighs about 170g, at roughly 343 calories per 100g.
Method
Wash the spring onion, drain it thoroughly and chop finely. Put it in a bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1/4 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and mix so the onion takes on the seasoning and loses its raw bite.
Heat 70g cooking oil. For a richer result, dice pork neck fat, render it over low heat until the pieces are golden and crisp, lift them out, then keep heating the liquid fat until fine bubbles form on the base of the pot, around 160 to 170 degrees C.
Pour the hot oil or fat slowly over the bowl of onion, stirring gently as it goes, so the onion just cooks, wilts and turns bright green.
As soon as it is mixed, set the bowl into a larger bowl of iced water to bring the temperature down, changing the water once or twice until it is no longer hot, which holds the green color longer.
Tips
Neck fat or leaf fat renders into a clearer liquid with less smell.
Rendering over too high a heat scorches the fat and leaves the mo hanh dark and bitter.
The spring onion must be completely dry before the oil goes on, since water makes the oil spit and dulls the color.
Cooling the bowl in iced water right after mixing holds the green color longer.
Store in a clean glass jar, sealed, in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Pour the hot oil over in two goes, since a single flood leaves the onion at the bottom of the bowl limp.
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.