Penny wort drink, nước rau má, is a Vietnamese favorite! It is healthy and refreshing. Best of all it comes together with just 3 ingredients!
The green leaves are pennywort. In Vietnamese, we call it rau má. It makes the best green juice! When I drink this, it instantly takes me back to the Vietnamese street markets. I'm 11 years old, walking down the dusty streets along the main road in Saigon. The sky is purplish black, the street is full of lights and the hems are dark. Motorists, and cyclos (Xe xích lô) fill the streets. Street vendors are selling their goods and I hear someone screeching at the top of their lungs, "Ai uống rau má không?!" (Pennywort juice anyone?!). YES, ME! Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am! This refreshing, earthy, and sweet juice was the antidote to the hot, humid air and thirst I got from walking around. One sip and it's an instant blast to the past!
Back to reality, it's March here in Texas. It's cold, it's hot, and tornado sirens are going off but it doesn't stop the pennyworts from growing. I saw these at the Vietnamese specialty grocery store! I got it and drove home to make this bad boy. Nước rau má/Pennywort Juice at the Vietnamese restaurants here can run about $4.50-$5 for a cup with no refills! I got a bag full for $5.00!
What is Vietnamese Green Juice?
Vietnamese green juice is nước rau má, which is made of pennywort. It's well known as a herby, earthy drink. I've been told that it's healthy for you and has a lot of health benefits. Penny wort is called gotu kola in Sri Lankan Singhalese and Brahmi in India.
Pennywort is a small, creeping plant that grows easily when planted. Its leaves are kidney-shaped and the plant thrives in marshy areas with damp soil, but it can grow in your garden as well!
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❤️Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy-to-follow recipe with 3 ingredients
- Requires no cooking
- Adjust how concentrated you want your drink and the sweetness level
🥄Equipment and tools
🛒Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
- Water: Use drinking water for this recipe.
- Pennywort leaves: Buy fresh, green, high-quality pennywort for this recipe. Be sure to wash it well!
- Sugar: Sugar adds a sweetness to the earthy pennywort. You can add as much or as little as you like. If you want a healthier drink you can omit it all together.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
↔Substitutions & Variations
- Add mung bean to the juice and blend for a different variation.
- Add coconut cream for a coconut blend.
- Use a cheesecloth bag to squeeze out all the juice in place of a mesh strainer
👩🏫 How to Make Penny Wort Drink (Nước Rau Má)
This is extremely easy! You will need a blender. Any trusty old blender will do the job. Start with this green juice recipe and then you can adjust it according to your liking. You can water it down, cut the sugar, or add more! Do what tastes right to you! Make it your own!
Step 1: Wash the pennywort leaves and take out the wilting leaves. Then, drain the pennywort.
Step 2: Add 2 cups full of pennywort leaves to blender.
Step 3: Add 2 cups of water to the blender.
Step 4: Blend on high until the leaves are well blended.
Step 5: Pour the juice through a mesh strainer or sieve.
Step 6: Use a spoon to press down on the pulp and squeeze out the penny wort juice.
Step 7: Juice until you have strained out all the pulp into a cup.
Step 8: Then pour over ice (or you can drink as is).
Step 9: Add sugar. (This step is optional)
Step 10: Stir in sugar and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Blend well.
- Wash the pennywort very well by running it under some water to clean out any dirt or debris.
- Make sure there's nothing else in there! I've found some worms in there before.
- Best served fresh.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
Pennywort has a mild, earthy, taste. My daughter says it reminds her of grass. She's not wrong but it's a tasty grass.
❄️Storage
- Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Freeze for up to 1 month in the freezer.
💕More Recipes You'll Love (related recipes)
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📖Recipe
Easy Penny Wort Drink, Nước Rau Má
Equipment
- 1 blender
- 1 mesh filter/ sieve
Ingredients
- 4 cups pennywort (washed and cleaned )
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Add 4 cups of pennywort to blender
- Add 2 cups of water to blender
- Blend for 30 seconds or until pennywort is blended thoroughly
- Pour juice through a sieve to strain out the pulp.
- Pour pennywort juice over a tall glass of ice
- Optional: Add 1 teaspoonful of sugar or more if desired, mix in juice.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
For more easy Vietnamese recipes try this vegetarian tofu egg drop soup!
