200g - Fresh Produce
Product Code: VE23
Price: £2.59
Water Mimosa (200g)
Thai Name: Pak kra ched
This aquatic, nitrogen-fixing legume is treated as a water pest in some countries, but is cultivated much like rice in Thailand and widely eaten raw or stir fried with other vegetables, meat and seasoning. In Thai, water mimosa is called pak khra-chet, and traveling along Thai highways will give the observant tourist views of field after field dedicated to this tasty vegetable. It’s also found in virtually every fresh food market in every city and town across Thailand.
The shoot tips, immature leaves and young pods are almost the only parts eaten, although the roots are often used as medicine in folk remedies and poultices. When cooking, mimosa should be stir-fried over medium-high heat for a maximum of 2 minutes, such that the tender parts are crunchy, not corded or chewy. Keep the cook time short, stir continually and it should turn out just right.
Stir-fried mimosa with salt pork or crispy pork and mimosa stir-fried with duck are popular dishes in Thailand, but don’t forget sliced beef strips in sauce with mimosa and mimosa with both red and white fish. Some of these are delicate flavors, difficult to describe but ineffable in their fragrance and aroma. Perhaps you are the adventurous experimenter who will set some goals for yourself, to both popularize the Water Mimosa and develop more recipes for its use. Being as nutritious and tasty as it is, this is not an unreal aspiration, and might earn you a footnote in cooking history. Even if it doesn't, such a set of recipes would earn you a warm spot in the hearts, minds and stomachs of admiring and appreciative mimosa aficionados, fanatics and connoisseurs of the world.
Normally available in fresh, sealed poly pack and canned versions for export, one has the greatest chance of finding mimosa outside of Thailand and Asia by searching in the Chinatown and Thai-town areas of rather large cities, as this particular vegetable is not popular enough to be an economical import for medium to small markets.
Fresh produce from Thailand.
Note: The cut off date for placing your fresh products order will be Wednesday, with delivery scheduled for the following Wednesday. This is because all our fresh food in flown in directly from Thailand on a weekly basis to ensure you get the freshest possible products.
