Vietnamese: Rau dền
Culinary uses: Use like spinach in salads or as a cooked vegetable
Vietnamese: Rau Quế, Húng Quế
Tasting notes: sweet / spice, anise / licorice
Culinary uses: Eaten raw. Smelling this basil is to be reminded of a piping hot bowl of pho noodle soup and in many common herb plates.
Medicinal: Antibacterial qualities, leaves are crushed to a paste to treat small cuts.
Banana Flower/Banana Blossom
Vietnamese: Bắp Chuối
Culinary uses: Remove outer leaves and sliced or diced and used in salad, stews, stir-fries.
Medicinal: valuable source of vitamin B, vitamin C, and potassium.
Vietnamese: Lá lốt
Tasting notes: bitter character with sweet aromatics
Culinary uses: wrapped around minced beef and grilled, stir fries, eaten raw
Medicinal: Juice of betel leaves with honey - serve as a good tonic.
Leaves soaked in mustard oil and warmed, can be applied to the chest area to relieve cough and difficulties in breathing. Also used as an antiseptic.
Vietnamese name: Rau Đắng
Common culinary name: Bitter mint
Tasting Notes: Bitter character
Culinary uses: Add raw to hot pot dishes or steamboats and noodle soups
Medicinal uses: Treat fever, joint pains, & inflammations
Vietnamese: Khổ qua
Tasting notes: Similar texture to a cucumber though very bitter
Culinary uses: Can be eaten green or when it ripens it is often cooked with meat or made into a soup
Medicinal: Beneficial for stomach related disorders
Vietnamese: Tần ô
Tasting notes: Bitter, strong flavour
Culinary uses: In soups, cooked or raw, and sautéed.
Medicinal: Rich in vitamin B.
Elephant Ear Stem / Stalk
Vietnamese: Bạc Hà
Tasting notes: Mild grassy flavoured spongy stems
Culinary uses: Stems add texture and absorb the flavours of soups and stir-fries. Co
Medicinal: Good source of iron, phosphorus, and zinc.
Vietnamese: Diếp Cá
Tasting notes: Strong acquired taste for its fishy character
Culinary uses: Used in bold fishy flavored dishes, very popular in dishes of grilled meats, fish and noodle soups.
Medicinal: Treats stomach aches, indigestion and swellings. Leaves are crushed to a paste to cure insect bites, rashes and itching.
Garlic Chives/Chinese chives
Vietnamese: Hẹ
Tasting notes: Garlicky and grassy
Culinary uses: Rice paper rolls, stir fries, raw in noodle soups
Medicinal: Antiseptic, aids digestion and helps promote the flow of blood
Vietnamese: Xoài Sống
Tasting notes: Tart, crisp and refreshing with underlying mango flavour
Culinary uses: Used in salads and eaten with salt & pounded chilli as a snack
Medicinal: Good source of fibre, rich in vitamin A and vitamin C.
Vietnamese: Xu hào
Culinary uses: Can be eaten raw, sliced or diced in salads, sautéed, stir-fried or braised.
Tasting notes: Similar texture and taste to broccoli stem with a hint of mustard
Medicinal: High in fibre, source of vitamin C and potassium
Vietnamese: Cải xanh
Culinary uses: Eaten raw as a salad or cooked
Medicinal: High in vitamin A
Vietnamese: TíaTô
Tasting notes: Earthy, bold and musky – a mint/basil combination
Culinary uses: Eaten raw in a variety of soups, salads and meat dishes.
Medicinal uses: Used in tea for soothing properties and in steam baths for better skin
Vietnamese: Ngò Om
Tasting notes: Citrus with mild cumin flavour
Culinary uses: Sour soups, salads, compliments dishes containing cumin.
Medicinal: Antibacterial qualities
Sawtooth Herb / Sawtooth Coriander
Vietnamese: NgòGai
Tasting notes: Strong coriander flavour
Culinary uses: Eaten raw - used in soups and salads
Medicinal: Used in tea to stimulate appetite, soothes stomach pain, improves digestion.
Spearmint Herb/Green mint
Vietnamese: Húng Lui, Húng Dũi
Tasting notes: Spearmint and lime character
Culinary uses: Eaten raw. Found in most common herb and salad plates.
Medicinal: Used in tea as treatment for stomach ache, colds and flu and promotes digestion
Vietnamese Balm/Vietnamese lemon mint
Vietnamese: Kinh Giới
Tasting notes: Basil with hints of lemon citrus and lemongrass
Culinary uses: Eaten raw in a variety of soups and meat dishes and on herb plates.
Medicinal: Used in tea for soothing properties and in steam baths for better skin.
Vietnamese: Rau Răm
Tasting notes: Spicy and peppery
Culinary uses: Commonly eaten raw in salads, in duck-related dishes and on most common herb plates.
Medicinal: Used to treat indigestion, stomach aches, ulcers, wounds and swelling. Believed to have the ability to reduce fertility
Water Spinach/Moring Glory
Vietnamese: Rau Muống
Culinary uses: As a vegetable, stir-fried or in soups.
Medicinal: Treatment of bites and high in antioxidants
