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Vietnamese herbs are collectively known as rau thom, literally translated as fragrant leaves. "Rau" generically refers to leafy vegetables and "thom" means fragrant.
Note that many of these herbs begin with the word "rau" to denote the full name. In daily conversation, however, it's okay to omit "rau" as people will still know what you're talking about! However, there are a few exceptions, such as rau ram, which you've got say both words for people to understand you.
Eating and cooking Viet requires lots of fresh herbs. Some are easily recognizable, others will seem more exotic. Below are short discussion on the different kinds of herbs, how to use them and how to store them. Gardening and seed and plant sources are highlighted in the "Growing Vietnamese Herbs" posting.
Page contents:
- Cilantro and cilantro-like herbs: Ngo (cilantro), ngo gai (culantro), rau ram (Vietnamese coriander)
- Mint, basil, and mint-like herbs: Hung (mint), hung cay (spicy mint), hung que (Thai basil), kinh gioi (Vietnamese balm)
- Other Viet herbs: Tia to (red perilla), diep ca (fish mint), bao om (rice paddy), la lot (wild betel), xa (lemongrass), rau thom (sorrel), thi la (dill)
- How to use herbs the Viet way
- How to keep herbs fresh and perky
CILANTRO AND CILANTRO-LIKE HERBS
MINT, BASIL AND MINT-LIKE HERBS
In the Vietnamese kitchen most herbs are not used for cooking but rather, eaten raw as an accompaniment to foods. In a democratic fashion, whole stem of herbs are put on a plate along with lettuce leaves, etc. Diners help themselves the herbs of their liking and pinch off the individual leaves to add to their bowl of food or to incorporate into a hand roll. The stems are discarded. Sometimes fresh herbs are added to finish a dish. In the case of lemongrass —which can't be eaten raw— the stalk is used in the actual cooking process.
Soak Method: In Vietnam, I noticed that people sometimes keep their herbs soaking in water until serving time, which enables them to remain perky. When I returned to the States, I tried this method and found that the herbs tended to pick up too much water, thereby diluting their flavor. Moreover, cilantro lost its shape and didn't take well to this approach.
Refrigerator Method: The method I prefer is sort of a florist approach to preserving herbs. Take your bunch of herbs and trim ½ inch off the stems. Place the bunch in a jar of water. Loosely cover the container with a plastic bag (a clear one will let you see what's inside) and keep it refrigerated. Change the water every third or fourth day and your herbs will last for about a week or two. This works wonders for cilantro, which tends to get slimy in the crisper. If you're tight for refrigerator space, place a paper towel in the plastic bag with your herbs to absorb excess moisture. Store the herbs in the vegetable/crisper bin.
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Wow,amazing article for this!!! I really appreciate it as well, it saves me so much time for searching the English name of all my favourite country's herbs.
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I'll have you know that Alec has planted a Vietnamese herb garden, based on your primer, on our balcony. We have rau ram and sorrel thus far, and he's going to plant seeds for culantro, perilla, and Vietnamese balm. Sadly, the DAY he planted the first batch was also the day our upstairs neighbor decided to clean her balcony with Mr. Clean and wash it over the edge, where it spilled onto our balcony and down to the first floor. Crazy! The herbs seem to be doing okay, mostly because Alec flushed t
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Your blog is really interesting.I grow herbs for myself and sell them to my local deli shops.I do not grow many Vietnamese herbs,but after reading your great posts will be trying this weekend to get started with Lemon grass and Thai basil-The information you supplied was fantastic-Thank you.
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cilantro can really make your dishes tasty and healthy. you can have a daily supply of cilantro if you will have it in your mini garden at home. Cilantro herb is very advisable for hear gradeners that are just starting out. It is very easy to grow.
you can learn more about herb gardening by simply visiting this site, http://www.herbgardeningplace.com/grow-herbs-indoors/ .
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Thanks for the lessons on Vietnamese herbs. I am ashamed to say that I learned this from Rachael Ray, but I find the best way to keep herbs (and I haven't tried this with these special Vietnamese herbs) is to wet a paper towel, squeeze the water out, wrap it around the herbs and put them in a zip-lock bag and squeeze the air out. Keeps them moist and crisp (in addition to keeping things cold, a refrigerator's job is to keep the air dry) without making them soggy. Cheers.
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I'm not from Vietnam and I just stumble upon this article. So many good info about herbs here. I don't soak fresh herbs myself until serving time. I just make sure that there's minimal time between harvest, serving and eating so they stay fresh. And keep them away from heat-generating appliances.
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I am planting an herb garden and my Vietnamese wife really wants some fresh mint. I did not realize there were so many different types. I believe it is peppermint, but am not certain. Can anyone help?
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Creating indoor herb gardens allows one to have fresh organic herbs all year round. Not only that, the herbs can provide not only decoration but your children will find it fascinating to watch the herbs grow. Thank you for an interesting article on the use of herbs in vietnamese cooking.
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I like this herb, a friend once served me a bowl of chicken soup with this herb. More like broth than soup actually, it was refreshing. Thank you for the list and the valuable information.
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wow, I never knew there are so many varieties of mints, corianders, and basils! I just found your blog and glad to.. I'm hooked to vietnamese cuisine! So do you always use the "hung" in Pho, or can you use the other type of mint?
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In my opinion some of the herbs are not suitable for cooking but rather, eaten raw as an accompaniment to foods...As I think they give more benefits on eating raw.
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Tia To is one of my favorite herbs among the Viet culinary palette. It's beauty lies in leaves that are purplish red on one side and green on the other.
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I know this is an old post, but I have been trying to find out the Vietnamese name for an herb in my garden ... Diep Ca. I have the variegated variety, but bought it hoping I could cook with it. It is very pretty. Can I cook with it? Or, is there something about it being an ornamental that prevents that. Thanks for any help you can give me.
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