Definition

1. Noun:
   • Malabar nightshade / Malabar spinach: A common name for a species of climbing vine, Basella alba, cultivated as a leafy vegetable. Its leaves are soft, thick, and have a characteristic mucilaginous (slimy) texture when cooked.
   • A leafy green vegetable: Refers specifically to the edible leaves of this plant, which are a popular ingredient in Vietnamese soups and stir-fries.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ tôi thường nấu canh cua với rau mồng tơi. (My mother often cooks crab soup with Malabar spinach.)
  • Rau mồng tơi có vị nhớt đặc trưng. (Malabar spinach has a characteristic slimy texture.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "nghèo nhớt mồng tơi" is an idiomatic expression used to describe extreme poverty, emphasizing a state of being so poor that one's poverty is as sticky and inescapable as the slimy texture of cooked leaves.

Variants and Related Words

• Rau mồng tơi (n): The most common way to refer to the vegetable, emphasizing it as a type of "rau" (leafy green/herb).
  • Chợ có bán rau mồng tơi không? (Does the market sell Malabar spinach?)
• Mùng tơi (n): An accepted alternate spelling and pronunciation of the same word.

Synonyms

• Malabar spinach: The most common English name.
• Ceylon spinach: Another English name for the same plant.
• Vine spinach: A descriptive English name.
• Basella: The botanical genus name.

Related Idioms

• Nghèo nhớt mồng tơi: To be desperately poor; to be in a state of sticky, persistent poverty.
  • Gia đình họ trước kia nghèo nhớt mồng tơi. (Their family was desperately poor in the past.)

1. Malabar nightshade
   • Nghèo nhớt mồng tơi, xem nghèo