Vietnamese Herb Garden
David Kha (520) 323-8278 khasan@aol.com www.thegardendistrict.org
Anethum graveolens
DILL
The name comes from the ancient Norse word dilla , which means to lull. Perhaps it was given this name because its taste is very sharp and puts the taste buds “to sleep”. It could also be a reference to the hypnotic waving of its stems in a breeze.
How to use – Dill can be used to make delicious pickles, but good cooks add dill seeds and leaves to the wide range of dishes. Leaves can be sprinkled on salads, fishes and sauces.
Mixed with sour scream, dill makes an excellent vegetable dip.
Allium tuberosum
CHINESE OR GARLIC CHIVES
Vietnamese name: He
Chinese chives is an interesting variety with a mild garlic flavor. It is slightly larger than chives, with flatter leaves and white flowers.
How to use – Chives can be used with Vietnamese spring-rolls.
Curcuma domestica
TURMERIC
Vietnamese name: Nghe
Turmeric is familiar to lovers of bread and butter pickles as the herb that gives pickles their characteristic flavor and yellow color.
How to use – Powdered turmeric is an essential part of curry powder .
Cymbopogon citrates
LEMONGRASS
Vietnamese name: Xa
This wonderful lemon-scented grass is a member of a small group of aromatic grasses native to tropical Southeast Asia.
How to use – Wonderful in Asian dishes.
Zingiber officinale
GINGER
Vietnamese name: Gung
It was grown in monastery gardens during the Dark Ages.
How to use – For Asian or stir-fry dishes.
Polygonum
VIETNAMESE CORIANDER
Vietnamese name: Rau Ram
Tired of growing coriander from seed several time a year? This is your answer; this remarkable herb from Vietnam has excellent flavour. Grow this perennial indoors in good light.
How to use – For the local Vietnamese dishes : soup (Pho) , chicken etc…
Perilla frutescens
CHINESE BASIL
Vietnamese name : Tia-To
These leaves are purple on one side and green on the other.
How to use – Vietnamese cooks often add them to soups at the last minute.
Limnophila aromaticum
RAU OM
A refugee of war, this remarkable little herb came to North America with the thousands who fled Vietnam in the 1970s. The scent and flavour of rau om have a beguiling floral character that is entirely unique among herbs.
How to use – It flesh leaves are essential in several sweet and sour Vietnamese dishes, including a delightful soup made with tamarind and cantaloupe.
Allium sativum
GARLIC
Vietnamese name: Toi
This member of the lily family has been appreciated and cultivated for centuries.
Gardeners say that planting garlic with roses benefits the roses, and garlic is widely acclaimed as an insect repellent.
How to use – For stir-fry dishes
Mentha
MINT
Vietnamese name: Hung
Mints have been used for centuries as antiseptics, to aid digestion, and as a remedy for flatulence.
How to use – Famous for juleps, mint is a good flavoring for sauces, salad dressings and iced drinks.
Rosmarinus officinalis
ROSEMARY
One of the oldest herbs known to man, this member of the mint family has stood the test of time in the home and in the landscape.
How to use – A long-standing natural with pork and veal, rosemary can also be used in stews.
Citrus hystrix DC.
KAFFIR LIME LEAF
Vietnamese name : La Chanh
A kaffir lime leaf looks as if two glossy, dark green leaves were joined together end to end, forming a figure-eight pattern.
How to use – Most Thai recipes count each double leaf as two separate leaves. Good with many fish dishes.
Houttuynia cordata
CHAMELEON PLANT
Vietnamese name: Rau Diep Ca
Vietnamese resembles coriander in its aroma, but with an adstringent aftertaste. Today, the plant grows wild in a vast area from Nepal via Thailand to Korea. The chameleon plant is often grown as an ornamental in Europe and the USA.
How to use – Their fresh, aromatic flavour goes well with European salads
Ocimum
THAI BASIL
Vietnamese name: Rau Hung Que
Terrific sweet flavour. Particular strain featured in Vietnamese dishes.
Great with Vietnamese PHO (Vietnamese soup).
Perilla frutescens
SHISHO
Native to Southeast Asia. The leaves are cinnamon scented. Shisho has adapted to many parts of USA but is rarely appreciated.
How to use - The seed of shisho are used as a source of oil and leaves as a salad herb in Japan. The leaves are used fresh or pickled with raw fish, bean curd and sliced cucumber.
Myrrhis odorata
SWEET CICELY
A member of the parsley, its seedheads resemble little umbrellas. The slightly oily seeds are deliciously spicy, with overtones of anise or licorice.
How to use – The oil is used in flavoring chartreuse liqueur. Add fresh leaves and seeds to salad for a unique flavor. Sweet cicely is a natural sweetener for a diabetic diet. Try it stir-fried in Asian cooking. When crushed, the oily seeds can be mixed with melted beewax and used as a scented furniture polish.
MARINADES
Marinade for fish
6 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
a handful of pounded fresh coriander leaves
1 crushed garlic clove
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon paprika
salt to taste
Marinade for chicken
1 ¼ cups plain yogurt
1 crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon crushed aniseed
6 crushed black peppercorns
1 crushed cardamom pod
salt to taste
Marinade for beef
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
2 thinly sliced shallots
5 crushed black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 fresh sprig of thyme
2 cloves
a pinch of grated nutmeg
Chinese marinade
¼ cup soy sauce
1 chopped, crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon sugar
ASIAN MARKETS
Here is the list of markets in Tucson, AZ for you to get the ingredients to cook:
G&L IMPORT EXPORT CORP 790-9016
4828 E. 22ND STREET (BETWEEN SWAN & CRAYCROFT)
Chinese market. Very large market.
Asian gift, big vases, furniture etc…17TH STREET FARMER’S MARKET 792-2588
830 E. 17TH STREET (S.EUCLID & E. 18TH STREET)
Chinese market. Good fresh vegetable, fresh fish.
Reasonable pricesMOAN’S ORIENTAL MARKET 747-7892
2022 S. CRAYCROFT RD (S. CRAYCROFT RD & E. 32ND STREET)
Thai market.
Many gift items from Thailand
KIMPO ORIENTAL MARKET 750-9009
5595 E. 5TH STREET (E. 5TH STREET & CRAYCROFT)
Korean market
INDIA FOOD & GIFTS 624-2474
863 E. GRANT RD (GRANT & N.FIRST AVE.)
Indian Market
SANDYI ORIENTAL MARKET 320-0389
4270 E. PIMA (PIMA & COLUMBUS)
Korean market
GRANTSTONE SUPERMARKET 628-7445
8 W. GRANT RD (GRANT & STONE)
Big Chinese market.
TORK’S CAFÉ & MARKET 325-3737
É & MARKET 325-3737
3502 E. GRANT RD (BETWEEN COUNTRY CLUB & DODGE)
Middle-East market
Lot of Spices, cheap
CARAVAN MIDEASTERN FOOD 323-6808
2817 N. COUNTRY CLUB (COUNTRY CLUB & GLENN)
Middle-East market
Lot of Spices, cheap
4689
E. Speedway 323-3737
446 N. Wilmot 722-0055
1072 N. Campbell 320-9511
2547 E. Broadway
319-8420
4210 E. Speedway 327-3797
2226 N. Stone 670-1705
430 N. Park Ave 622-6114
2511 E. Speedway 323-9886