Herbs 101

Herbs 101
Thursday, May 15, 2008 By Diane Duyen Cu
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LENDING COLOR: Herbs add a hint of green to stuffed squid (above), spring roll dishes (right) and minted red rice salad (below).

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Vietnamese Perilla

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Spearmint Herb

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Asian Basil

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Vietnamese Balm

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Vietnamese Coriander

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Fish Herb

When most people think of Vietnamese cuisine, most think of fresh herbs and plenty of them.

To describe our food would not be complete without the inclusion of herbs, called rau thơm. The textures, flavors, scents and overall freshness that they contribute to everyday Vietnamese dishes is what makes the cuisine stand alone. Although herb use in other ethnic cuisines are common, it is Vietnamese cuisine that is usually most noted for its abundant and frequent use of unique and exotic herbs.

Eaten generously along side almost every meal, these fresh leaves and stems create a unique and delicious layer of flavor to the already dynamic simplicities of Vietnamese cuisine. Raw herbs are torn, topped, tossed, rolled and/or wrapped into temptations ranging from soups to rice and noodles to sandwiches and spring rolls.

A few other herbs are used more for cooking in soups, braises and grilled dishes. If you are eating a Việt restaurant meal, it is guaranteed that there will be small herb strip elegantly laced in your order or abundantly adorning the traditional herb and lettuce plate. The overall health benefits, garden jewels and beautiful visual displays of these herbs make them that much more appealing outside of the kitchen and dinner table.

Some herbs found in Vietnamese dishes are common to other world cuisines and were readily available in North America long before the Vietnamese migration to America, such as spearmint, basil and dill. For the other more exotic ones, they slowly made their way to America by means that are not always clear. The most common belief by Việt families is that some of the more exclusive Asian herbs were introduced to this nation when Southeast Asian immigrants, including the Vietnamese, fled their home countries and brought them to the United States.

Some of these herb roots and seeds also may have been sent via mail, so over the years home gardens flourished with these plants. Some of the very first Việt herbs sold in Vietnamese grocery stores in Little Saigon back in the 1980s did, in fact, come from these home gardens.

As Vietnamese food evolves in America’s food scene, so does the incorporation of new herbs in more contemporary dishes. As a result of America’s “New World” influence, these different herbs are not commonly eaten in Việt Nam, but rather, are gracing more modern Việt dishes.

The various culinary uses of the herbs are embraced outside the kitchen, transcending to one’s health and wellness. Beyond flavor, they have been hailed for their nutritional benefits and their herbaceous green leaves and stems have historically played vital roles for healing and medicine Asian cultures for centuries.

Traditionally many of these herbs were eaten for their medicinal qualities. For example, the most common spearmint found in Việt cuisine, húng lủi, and basil, húng quế, are believed to help aid digestion and fight off bacteria.

Rice paddy herb ngò ôm, commonly used in a sour catfish soup, has been believed to be an excellent external treatment for insect and snake bites. Even more simply, most of the various minted herbs such as Vietnamese balm, kinh giới, and Vietnamese perilla, tía tô, are used as a tea for their soothing and stimulating properties.

Viet herbs are plentiful in most Vietnamese and some Asian markets. When choosing herbs, select sprigs that are fresh, young and tender. The more tender the stems, the better the flavor.

The flavors and health benefits of these Vietnamese herbs are creating quite a buzz and new excitement for the food and health world. Eating herbs for a more delicious and healthier life couldn’t be easier.

Vietnamese Perilla
Vietnamese name: Tía Tô
Common culinary name: Vietnamese Perilla, Perilla
Culinary uses: Eaten raw in a variety of soups and meat dishes. Also found on herb plates.
Medicinal uses: Used in tea for soothing properties; leaves used in steam baths for better skin.

Spearmint Herb
Vietnamese name: Húng Lủi, Húng Dũi
Common culinary name: Spearmint, Common Mint
Culinary uses: Eaten raw. Found on most common herb and salad plates. Used widely with spring rolls, salads and almost anything family tradition dictates.
Medicinal uses: Tea treatment for stomach ache, colds and flu; promotes digestion.

Asian Basil
Vietnamese name: Rau Quế, Húng Quế
Common culinary name: Thai Basil (Queenette/Siam Queen/Anise Varieties), Asian Sweet Basil, Purple Basil
Culinary uses: Eaten raw. Smelling this basil is to be reminded of a piping hot bowl of phở noodle soup. These aromatic infused leaves are the most associated with phở and many common herb plates.
Medicinal uses: Antibacterial qualities

Vietnamese Balm
Vietnamese name: Kinh Giới
Common culinary name: Vietnamese Balm, Vietnamese Lemon Mint
Culinary uses: Eaten raw in a variety of soups and meat dishes. Also found on herb plates.
Medicinal uses: Used in tea for soothing properties and leaves used in steam baths for better skin.

Vietnamese Coriander
Vietnamese name: Rau Răm
Common culinary name: Vietnamese coriander/cilantro, Vietnamese mint, false mint
Culinary uses: Commonly eaten raw in salads and many duck-related dishes. Also found on most common herb plates.
Medicinal uses: Used to treat indigestion, stomach aches and swelling; known to have ability to reduce fertility.

Fish Herb
Vietnamese name: Diếp Cá, Rấp Cá
Common culinary name: Fish Herb, Việt Fish Mint Culinary uses: Not commonly used in American Vietnamese restaurant dishes because of the bold fishy flavors. But it is very popular in home dishes of grilled meats, fish soup dishes . Also, usually eaten raw in herb noodle salads and fresh homemade spring rolls.
Medicinal uses: Treats stomach aches, indigestion and swellings. Leaves are crushed to a paste to cure insect bites, rashes and itching.
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