Stir-fried White Water Snowflake
With Pickled Cordia Fruit
破布子炒水蓮
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Ever tasted an ingredient and immediately wondered to yourself why it wasn't more popular? Well this recipe has TWO of those ingredients. Both Taiwanese specialties, these ingredients are beloved by those that know them, but frequently off the radar with even the more ardent of Chinese food fans. Now I'm not sure why exactly these two ingredients haven't enjoyed greater popularity, but it might have something to do with their names. You see, both of them are absolutely aching to be given better English names. With that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to White Water Snowflake and Fragrant Manjack.
Yes, those are their names. The green stuff in the photos above and below? That's white water snowflake. The round little fruits? Fragrant manjack. Neither of them sounds like food, really, but they're both quite tasty.
White water snowflake is an aquatic plant (Nymphoides hydrophylla, aka N. cristata) native to tropical Asia. Despite its fairly large range it's really only commonly grown for consumption in parts of Southern Taiwan (specifically around Kaohsiung). Elsewhere, the plant is appreciate for it's lily-pad like foliage and beautiful little white flowers. These delicately fringed five-pointed petaled flowers are where we get the English name - white water snowflake. And frankly, it's about time to transition our appreciation of this plant more fully from the visual to the culinary realm, as its decorative popularity has led to some problems. It seems that white water snowflake plants grown ornamentally in water gardens have escaped captivity and become something of a nuisance in some parts of the world. The plant has been declared a noxious weed in Florida, where some populations are getting significantly out of control. Perhaps it's time to start eating the thing.
As for fragrant manjack - well this is a plant that's just dying for some rebranding. It's such an interesting and tasty ingredient with such a hilarious name problem that I'm thinking I'll write up a little piece dedicated just to it, but for now I'll just explain what it is. A member of the borage family, fragrant manjack (Cordia dichotoma) can be found in much of South and Southeast Asia. In Taiwan, the small, immature fruits are pickled in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and salt. These small, sweet/salty/sour pickles are then used to add a punch of flavour to all kinds of dishes, including vegetables, steamed fish, congee, and eggs. Why do I say it's dying to be rebranded? Well the Chinese name (破布子 - pò bùzi in Mandarin, phoà-pò·-chí in Taiwanese) translates to 'shabby clothes' or 'rags.' And as for the English names - well, fragrant manjack is probably the best choice. Other options include 'snotty gobbles' and 'glue berry.' I can't believe I just wrote 'snotty gobbles' on my food blog. Anyway, it's pretty clear that the English names aren't going to cut it, so if you do go looking for these you're most likely going to find them labeled as "pickled Cordia dichotoma" (or just pickled Cordia fruit). The manjack name might show up on the packaging too, but the scientific name seems to be where it's at in terms of English language labeling. For more information about finding and using manjack/Chordia or white water snowflake, check out the Recipe Notes section below.
Onto the most important part of all this: how do these ingredients taste? In a word, wonderful! I realize that highly specialized ingredients aren't always the most approachable flavours in the world, but both white water snowflake and manjack are very easy to love. The thin jade-green stalks of white water snowflake are delightfully crispy, and pleasantly (is somewhat generically) green tasting. Picture the taste of mild spinach with the texture of celery and you'll get a sense for it. It really absorbs flavour, and performs very well in a simple, classic Chinese stir-fry. As for manjack, the chickpea-sized fruits blend a mild, sweet-and-sour flavour with the punch of soy sauce. I've seen them likened to tamarind, but I'd say that's true more for the character of the ingredient than the actual taste.
Now let's get to making this stuff. And don't worry - I've got some common and more accessible substitutions to share with you in the next section.
Recipe Notes
Alright folks, I'm here to help. I realize that in the great big world of food, this is a bit of a niche recipe. Perhaps you arrived here because you had the ingredients and you wanted a recipe, in which case - awesome. Good to go. But if you're here because you're curious and you want to try this, you might have a hard time tracking down some of the ingredients. I'll walk you through how to find them, possible substitutions/variations, and how to get the best flavour.
I also wanted to take a second to give a quick shoutout to a friend and amazing blogger who helped me with a bit of translation and Taiwanese food fact-finding - Tiffany from Choochoocachew is an amazing cook dedicated to helping the world discover Taiwanese cuisine, and you should definitely go and check out her site. This page has a lovely introduction to Taiwanese food if you're looking for a good place to start.
White Water Snowflake & Substitutions
This is an ingredient that you'll most likely find it tough to plan around. Instead, it's better to have this recipe in mind so that you can come back to it when you do find it. That being said, the growing popularity of this ingredient within Taiwan and among the Taiwanese diaspora has made it a bit more common of late. I found it in Richmond (the greater Vancouver area) BC in late June, but the plant is apparently grown and harvested all year long. That being said, you're going to have to either be in Taiwan (and preferably in or around Kaohsiung in the south) or know of a store or importer who wants to bring some in. There's a Taiwanese importer in Vancouver that offers these lovely greens online, and they can ship within the Lower Mainland. Outside of that area you'll have to look into it on a wholesale level, so you'll have to contact them specifically to sort out the details.
If you're a fan of foraging and you happen to live in a US Gulf State, you might actually be able to find this plant growing as a wild invasive species. If you're confident about identifying it, and confident about the cleanliness of the water, then you could harvest it yourself. DISCLAIMER: never work with wild-foraged ingredients without first taking into account safety and proper identification. The information in this post is meant as an introduction and should not be considered sufficient education for those looking to identify this species or to differentiate it from its relatives (whose edibility I'm uncertain of).
If you can't find white water snowflake, there are plenty of wonderful and accessible veggie options to try in its place. Each variation will taste a little different of course, but they're all good in their own way. If you're thinking texture first, you could use thinly sliced batons of celery. Chinese celery is another option, but the flavour is much more pronounced (which is good or bad, depending on which way you want to go with this). Taiwanese or regular spinach would both make excellent choices, though they are much softer and would require a far shorter cooking time. Bok choy makes an excellent and easy to find alternative as well. Water spinach (aka ong choy, kong xin cai, or kangkong) is a popular, fairly easy to find, and would make another great alternative with a nice texture.
Fragrant Manjack & Substitutions
As a pickled/preserved food, fragrant manjack is fortunately a little easier to track down than white water snowflake. That being said, it's still not likely to be found at your average Western grocery store. If you're luck enough to live in an area with Taiwanese grocers or importers, check there first and foremost (here in the Vancouver area my go-to location is Kuo Hua Trading in Richmond, BC). Beyond that, well-stocked Chinese grocery stores are a pretty good bet too. Manjack fruits are used in other cuisines (South and Southeast Asian, for example), so you might find sometime that works at a grocery store focused on those communities, but be cautious as the type of pickle could be completely different. For example, there are Indian versions of pickled manjack that use tomato, chilies, and a plethora of spices. Tasty, but not what you want here.
As for substitutions, don't worry too much about the exact taste of the pickles and look more to the general flavours that you're looking to bring to the dish - namely sourness, salt, and a bit of sweetness. One very simple option is to omit the pickles entirely and emulate the pickling liquid by adding 1 tsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of rice vinegar, and a little sugar (maybe 1/2 a tsp). Mix these ingredients together and toss them into the finished stir-fry like a dressing. If you're fond of other Chinese-style pickles (e.g. hua gua, 花瓜) you could certainly add those in place of the manjack, though I'd personally avoid the really soy/salt-heavy pickles. A little pickled eggplant would be really nice if you have it.
Note: Nutritional information is given for a single serving (1/6th total recipe).
Nutritional Summary
Ingredient Pages
No ingredient pages have been written yet for any of the ingredients in this recipe. Like to see one? Let me know in the comments below or by email.
Pantry Pages
No pantry pages have been written yet for any of the ingredients in this recipe. Like to see one? Let me know in the comments below or by email.
Stir-fried White Water Snowflake
Ingredients
- 350 g white water snowflake stems (水蓮) (see note)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- 10 g ginger thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- pinch salt or to taste
- 2 tbsp pickled Cordia fruit (破布子) (see note)
- 1 tbsp liquid from Cordia fruit pickles
- crushed red chilies (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and thoroughly drain the stems, then cut them into ~3 inch (7.5 cm) pieces.
- Heat wok over very high heat. Add the oil and let it heat up until shimmering and nearly smoking.
- Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 10 seconds, or until garlic is just turning brown and crispy.
- Add the white water snowflake stems to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until darker, somewhat softened, and jade-green.
- Add rice wine, soy sauce, and salt. Stir-fry for an additional 30 seconds or so, then remove the vegetables from the wok immediately.
- Add the pickled Cordia fruit and the pickling liquid. Serve immediately, garnished with a bit of crushed red chili if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
More Chinese Recipes
Black Bean Seafood
Snow Peas & Lotus Root
Liangban Huanggua
5-Spice Crispy Tofu
Mapo Tofu
Honey-Ginger Pea Tips
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Comments
Whoa… I am WAY too immature to eat something called Fragrant Manjack… just typing it fills me with giggles. I loved learning about both ingredients, however and you’ve made me realize how long its been since I’ve gone searching for new and exotic ingredients to learn about and eat.
Glad to know I’m not the only one. I mean, the other common names are equally hilarious, but still. I’m glad I’ve piqued your curiosity. It’s always so rewarding to go out and expand your culinary horizons. The world is full of so many interesting ingredients after all! Good luck to you.
LOLOL I had the same thought! But the white water snowflake sounds great. I have lots of ong choy available to me, so I may try that!
I have never heard of this ingredient. Interesting. Wonder if it is similar to Sea Asparagus. That was another ingredient I saw at St. Lawrence Market recently. CRAAAAAZY expensive….like $30/pound!! I love trying new and interesting things. I will look for this my next trip. You never know what you will find there.
Ooof, that’s certainly not cheap! It’s a bit more affordable here, though still pricey given that it grows wild on our coasts. Labour costs combined with foraging expertise and all that. White water snowflake and sea asparagus are not closely related by any means, but in terms of texture there’s quite a bit of similarity. Sea asparagus is considerably saltier however. You could do a recipe like this with sea asparagus for sure, but you’d have to cut the salt and possibly some of the soy sauce from the recipe to counter-balance it.
I definitely learned a lot reading this post! I’d never heard of white water snowflake or fragrant manjack fruit! I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to find that around here, so I’m glad you talked substitutions. Always great to have flexibility and options when making a recipe!
Thanks Leanne! Honestly even though I spend a lot of time exploring and writing about unusual ingredients, I’m still amazed by the number of things I manage to bump into that I’ve never heard of – even in cuisine I’m quite familiar with, like Taiwanese food! Glad you appreciate the substitutions too though – after all, trying new stuff is great, unless you can’t find it. Haha.
Never heard of this before, but it does look like something I’d love!! You always have such fun and unique recipes!
Thanks Dawn! Glad you like it.
LOL @ the fragrant manjack! That definitely needs an ingredient page! I’ve never tried either of these ingredients but will look out for them at markets in the future, I’d love to make this dish!
Yeah, I don’t think I’m ever going to get over that one. Haha. I’ll definitely be writing more about these ingredients soon – good luck in your hunt for them!
Hahah re-branding required, for sure! I’ve never heard of either white water snowflake or fragrant manjack fruit before. I wonder if I can get them locally – if not, thanks for the substitutions!
Hey Tracy! Manjack you have a decent chance of finding. White water snowflake is a lot harder to find, though Taiwan seems to be pushing a little bit in an effort to export more of it, so it’s something to keep your eyes open for. Good luck, and have fun no matter what version you do!
I have a huge Asian market nearby and no I’m on a mission to find these ingredients!
Good luck! Hope you find what you need.
I’ve never heard of either of the ingredients but I’d love to try the dish. I’m always on the search for different flavors and textures. We do have some Asian and Chinese grocery stores around. I’ll have to check it out with them. I’m hoping I can make this stir-fry.
Good luck Marisa! I hope you get a chance to try it out, or one of the variations. Let me know if you ever have a substitution question!
Oh my goodness!!! This is what it is called in English! We have this all the time at home and this is pretty much the recipe we follow at home. It’s delicious! I love learning about where it came from since I had no idea about where it came from haha.
I love when I get one of those “That’s what this is called!” reactions. Haha. I’m so lucky to have an international audience with such diverse backgrounds, and it always makes my day when somebody finds something that they hadn’t seen in a while, or that they’d never seen in an English language post. Glad to know my recipe holds up well against your home-made stuff – it certainly isn’t a complex one, but I wanted to make sure that there was a good English recipe out there on the web for anyone who might be looking for it. Cheers, and thanks for taking the time to comment!
This does sound good and I love trying new ingredients that I’ve never worked with before. I’m pretty sure I can find the manjack but might substitute bok choy. Thanks for such a thorough post.
Thanks Amy! Glad you like it, and glad to know the thorough approach is appreciated. Good luck with the sub – and if you do try the bok choy, let me know how it goes!
I am all about try new and exotic ingredients. Now I will be looking for them at my local Asian market and won’t stop until I find them! Sounds so delicious for sure!
Thanks Kathy! Glad you like it – good luck with the ingredients!
I’m glad I’m not the only jerk giggling at the name “Fragrant Manjack” 🙂
This looks really crisp and delicious! At first glance, I thought the greens were green beans. Would those work as a sub-in, or nah?
ALSO AT FIRST GLANCE. I thought those fruits were button mushrooms. Then I was like, “Oh no, they’re olives. Derp.” And now after looking at the recipe, I see I was wrong both times. THIS POST IS A TRIP, SEAN.
You definitely are not alone. I mean, the alternative is “snotty gobbles” and really, let’s be honest, that’s a million times worse. Glad you like the recipe Dana – it’s a lot of fun to make and a great side dish. I’m glad it took you on such a journey. LOL.
This is so fun! There are no Taiwanese grocery stores anywhere near me, but I’ll keep this in mind if I happen to find one while traveling! I love these specialty food posts you do- I feel a lil smarter now 😉
Glad you liked the post Sarah! And I’m glad you enjoy my little explorations into these little-known foods. I figure even if people don’t get a chance to cook it for themselves they’ll still be open to trying more new things in the future! Cheers!
Oh wow, my husband and I pride ourselves of being very worldly when it comes to weird food and ingredients, but I have never heard of either of these. Fragrant Manjack?? If you do happen to give this little guy his own post I want to hear all about it 🙂 We have an amazing International food market nearby which has just abut everything from just about everywhere, and an awesome Asian farmers market every Sunday. Between the two of them I am sure I can stumble across these ingredients, or someone who can help me do so. Thanks for the education!
Thanks Donna! I will definitely keep that in mind in the future – gotta write up these fascinating ingredients in more detail! Glad you enjoyed the post, and good luck hunting for the ingredients!
What an interesting piece! I always learn SO much from your posts and recipes, Sean! I don’t think I’ve ever had white water snowflakes OR fragrant manjack, but I most certainly want to try them. What a beautiful dish. I’ll have to look for these ingredients the next time I’m in NYC; such a wide array of markets and international foods available there. If not, I know I can substitute bok choy, as you mentioned–I buy it often! Beautiful photographs, too, as always.
Thank you for the information. I came across the white water snowflakes at my local T&T (Vancouver area Asian grocery chain) and wanted to give them a try. I am glad to hear that they are not as salty as the sea asparagus (which I had tried when I lived in the San Francisco Bay area. It is plentiful in the marshes there. You just need to be careful of water quality, and as you mentioned, proper ID). Looking forward to new flavors. Best.