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Ingredients & Nutrition Facts

[ Protein ] [ Starches & Grains ] [ Fruits ] [ Green Vegetables ] [ Spices ] [ Herbs ] [ Condiments ] [ For Acquired Taste ]

Herbs

 

	Shallots           Use : Shallots are ingredients of all kinds of curry pastes, hot sauces and salads.           Medicinal Properties : Aids digestion, relieves cold symptoms, increases appetite, and regulates menstruation.           Method of Preparation : Ground in curry pastes or sauces, cut up finely in salads and pan-fried dishes.
	White basil, or holy basil           Use : Gaprao is used in Pad Gaprao (fried meat with fresh chili pepper, garlic and gaprao), Gang Pa, Gang Kae, and Tom Jew.           Medicinal Properties : Relieves flatulence and indigestion, helps release phlegm, and increases milik supply for breastfeeding mothers.           Method of Preparation:           1. Add fresh gaprao to fried ingredients just before removing from the pan. The heated gaprao will add the flavor to the dishes.           2. Deep fry gaprao until crispy and add to the dishes as garnish.
	Sweet Basil           Sweet Basil Sweet basil has a strong exotic scent.           Use : All kinds of Thai curries and some pan fried dishes, i.e. fried long egg plant, shellfish dishes; contain Horapa. Horapa can be used fresh in salads and as an accompanying vegetable for regional dishes.            Medicinal Properties : Aids digestion, increases perspiration, relieves coughing, fights parasites of the digestive tract, relieves constipation, and cures scurvy.            Method of Preparation : Add to the cooked dishes just before removing from the heat. Horapa provides full fragrance while heated but not overcooked.
	Hoaru Basil           Use : Gang Liang (spicy vegetable soup) and regional clear vegetable soup contain Mangrak leaves. This kind of basil can be used fresh to accompany Thai hot sauces : Namya, Namprik.            Medicinal Properties : Mangrak leaves aid digestion, increase perspiration, relieve coughing, and cure scurvy. Mangrak seeds relieve constipation and promote body weight reduction.            Method of Preparation : Mangrak is best while fresh. It is should be added last as ingredient to the soup just before removing from the heat.
	Coriander Leaves           Use : Tom Yam, Tomkha, soups and salads require coriander leaves as flavorful and colorful garnish.            Medicinal Properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.            Method of Preparation : Coriander leaves taste best while fresh. It should be added last when the food is ready to serve.
	Coriander Roots           Use : Coriander root is an important ingredient in soup and curry mixtures. It is also used in stewing soup stocks and most meat dishes.            Medicinal Properties : Aids digestion, prevents constipation, cures scurry, pellagra and beriberi, increases appetite, and relieves cold symptoms.           Method of Preparation : Add the crushed of ground coriander roots into boiling water for best aroma.
	Kaffir Lime, Leech Lime or Bitter Orange Leaves           Use : Tom Yam, Tamkha, and all kinds of Thai curry contain kaffir lime leaves            Medicinal Properties : Aids digestion and relieves stomachache.            Method of Preparation : The leaves must be torn or shredded to let out the aroma. The torn or shredded bai makrood should be added last to the cooked ingredients.
	Tamarind Juice           Use : Tamarind paste can be used in place of lime juice. It is an essential ingredient of Kaeng Khua, Tom Khlong and some spicy salad, which require sweet and sour flavours. It lends a beautiful colour to Tom Khlong.            Medicinal Properties : Prevents and relieves constipation, relieves cold symptoms i.e. coughing, runny nose, and sore throat, and relieves indigestion, loss of appetite and tastelessness.            Method of Preparation : To make tamarind juice, mix dried and peeled tamarind with warm water. Add the tamarind juice while the broth is boiling after all ingredients are cooked.
	Lime Juice           Use : as ingredient in Yam, Tom Yam and Kaeng Som and also as beverage.           Medicinal Properties: Relieves coughs, sore throat, swollen gum, tooth bleeding, constipation, dizziness, the lack of Vitamin C, and phlegm.           Method of Preparation:           Squeeze limes for lime juice and add lime juice to food as desired.
	Marsh Mint The fresh leaves of this herbaceous plant are used as a flavouring and eaten raw in Thai cuisine. Volatile oil contents give the plant several therapeutic uses, including carminative, mild antiseptic, local anesthetic, diaphoretic and digestant properties.Mint in Vietnamese cooking comes in two guises, one that's mildly flavored and one that's spicy. For many people, the mildness of the former rau hung (essentially spearmint) is much preferred over the assertiveness of rau hung cay. Northern Vietnamese who are purists about their pho noodle soup will insist on mint instead of purple basil. I particularly enjoy mint with chicken pho. Rau hung lui is interchangeable with rau hung.
	Mint: Not eaten as often as rau hung, rau hung cay's spicy flavor is akin to a light version of peppermint. The leaf is more rounded in shape than that of rau hung. The delicate thin leaves, however, pack quite a punch in foods such as beef pho.At Vietnamese markets, rau hung cay is usually sold next to rau hung lui. I've sometimes encountered rau hung cay at Middle Eastern markets too.
	Pepper Pepper is a branching, perennial climbing plant from whose fruiting spikes both white and black pepper are obtained. Used as a spice and condiment, pepper contains a 2-4% volatile oil. Therapeutic uses are as carminative, antipyretic, diaphoretic and diuretic agents.
	Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) Uses: Rau ram has a lemon and coriander-cilantro aroma. It is used both as a medicinal and a culinary herb in southeast Asia, and also in latinamerica. Rau ram is an ingredient in many southeast Asia dishes with poultry, duck eggs and du'a cân. It is best used fresh. History and Lore: The roots of the closely related Fo-ti, Polygonum multiflorum, are used in Chinese herbal medicine as a tonic and to stimulate hair growth, where it is often combined with other herbs, such as ginseng (panax sp.). At Vietnamese markets in the states, rau ram is sold in bunches. Mail order plants from Richter.com or purchase them from nurseries. In California, you'll even find rau ram plants at Home Depot!
	Ngo Cai: At Viet, Caribbean and sometimes Latino markets, ngo gai is sold in plastic bags or on Styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic. Plants are sometimes sold there too during the summertime. For mail order seeds and plants, go to Richter's Herb Catalogue or the culantro page listed on the left sidebar. A favored herb for tearing up and adding to hot bowls of pho beef noodle soup, ngo gai is more expensive than most Viet herbs because it's slow to grow. Each leaf emanates from the base of the plant; there are no stems from which multiple leaves may flourish. This herb is native to Central America and is now grown throughout Southeast Asia and Latin America. The leaves are thick and the thorns edging the leaves won't hurt you. Flavorwise, it's stronger than true cilantro, yielding a much earthier flavor. You can always substitute cilantro
	Thai Purple Basil, Asian basil, anise basilThis is the ubiquitous basil that's now commonly served with bowls of pho beef noodle soup. Rau hung que is traditionally served alongside Vietnamese pork blood sausages (long heo), as its spicy earthy notes provide the perfect contrast to the pungent richness of the sausages. Interestingly, the literal translation of rau hung que is "cinnamon mint", though the herb is botanically a basil. At Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. Plants and seeds are easily found at nurseries and online sources.
	Vietnamese Balm, Vietnamese mint. A lemony herb that's unparalleled in flavor. The delicate saw-edged leaves are terrific raw and typically accompany cooked foods such as grilled meats. Buy bunches at Vietnamese markets. Plants also sometimes sold in summertime at these markets. Richters Herb Catalogue from Canada offers plants
	Tia to: Purple perilla, hojiso (Japanese), beefsteak, red perilla. This is one of my favorite herbs in the Viet culinary palette. Its beauty lies in leaves that are purplish red on one side and green on the other. Its strong flavors stand up perfectly to bold flavored foods such as mock turtle stew (thit heo nau ya ba ba) and perks up the delicate qualities of a fried shrimp fritter (banh tom). If you enjoy green shiso leaves in your sushi, here's its Vietnamese counterpart - a little more assertive and a lot cheaper to buy! Note that in Vietnam, the leaves are dark purple on both sides and more delicate in flavor. Widely available at Chinese and Viet markets in the produce section. Buy plants during the summertime from Vietnamese markets. Tia to is an annual so let it flower and go to seed. Save the seeds for next year's plants. A good alternative is Japanese hojiso, which may be grown from seed purchased from Evergreen seeds.
	Ngo om: Rice paddy herb. A little citrusy and with a mild cumin flavor, this herb is mostly used in Vietnamese sour fish soup. It's quite pretty to grow and can take lots of moisture. As a substitute, I often use a pinch of ground cumin. All three Vietnamese terms above are interchangeable. Not easy to find outside of a Vietnamese market. During the summer time, you may find the plants sold in small containers (usually Styrofoam cups). The small leaves are beautiful. It is used most often in Vietnamese cuisine, where it is called ngò ôm. It is an ingredient in canh chua, a sweet and sour seafood soup which also includes tamarind, and is sometimes also added as an accompaniment to the noodle soup called phở.
	Vap ca, Fish mint, fishscale mint. The heart-shaped leaves of this herb have an unusual slightly sour, fishy flavor. Some folks love rau diep ca's tangy qualities and others focus on its unusual fishiness. For this reason, it's not commonly found at the Viet table. I enjoy it with boldly flavored grilled meat, such as skewered beef with lemongrass. Interestingly, a variegated form of this herb is often planted for decorative purposes. At Viet markets mostly since it's not widely eaten.
	La lop: Pepper leaf, wild betel leaf, ye-thoei (Thai). Often expensive to buy, these heart-shaped leaves are used to wrap around a ground beef mixture for thit bo nuong la lot. When grilled, la lot leaves impart a wonderful herbal flavor to the garlicky beef. The leaves are shiny and wet looking on one side and matted on the other. Raw, the leaves have a sweet cinnamon scent but their taste isn't cinnamon like, but rather a little medicinal. At Asian markets in the states, the leaves are sold in bundles, Styrofoam trays or plastic bags.
	Rau chua: Sorrel (oseille in French). Though sorrel grows wild throughout Europe and Asia, most of the information in print discusses uses in England, France and Italy. You often hear of French Sorrel and its use in sauces to go along with fish. When pounded to a paste with vinegar or lemon juice and sugar, sorrel becomes part of English greensauce and is eaten with meat and fish. In the European kitchen, sorrel may be used in soups, purees and sauces, tucked into an omelette or stuffed into fish. Oddly enough, using sorrel as part of the fresh herb assortment at the Vietnamese table is a practice developed in America. That's why there isn't a Vietnamese name for the herb. It's referred to by Viet-Americans as rau chua (sour herb) or rau thom (fresh herb). Enjoy it as you would any of the raw herbs used to add zip to food. The use of this herb was brought to my attention by a visitor to the kitchen. Read the details in "Mystery Herb." Use only fresh sorrel in Viet applications. Grow it yourself from seeds and you'll find that it spreads and is rather tough to get rid of. Since it's a mostly considered a western herb, you can obtain seeds through normal channels. (See top of sidebar.) Spring is when sorrel is at its peak, when the leaves are tender and delicately tart.
	Onions are available in fresh, frozen, canned, and dehydrated forms. Onions can be used, usually chopped or sliced, in almost every type of food, including cooked foods and fresh salads, and as a spicy garnish; they are rarely eaten on their own but usually act as accompaniment to the main course. * Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp and pungent or mild and even sweet. * Chopped, it is one of the three vegetables considered the holy trinity of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine. * Cocktail onions, or pickled pearl onions, are used to garnish drinks such as Gibsons.
	Scallions are also sometimes known as green onions in the U.S. They tend to be milder tasting than other onions and are typically used raw in salads in western cookery. Diced scallion are often used in soup, noodle, seafood, and sauce in eastern cookery.