The different types of Asian herbs that are good for cooking
Herbs are known for their medicinal properties and at the same time good as an ingredients for different kinds of dishes. They give extra flavor and makes food more appealing to eat too.
Here is the list of Asian herbs that are nice ingredients to various recipes:
Vietnamese mint
Unlike regular mint leaves, the Vietnamese mint has long pointed and purple stems. It is also dubbed as Vietnamese cilantro or laksa leaf. Used as a nice topping for laksa recipe and can be a good side condiment to “pho.”
You may tear the leaves and combine it in hot soup to have an aroma and taste of a lemon. It can also be combined well with chicken dishes Vietnamese chicken salad.
Kuchay or garlic chives
The garlic chives are versatile herb with a wide range of uses. It is flat and looks like a grass. It provides a taste that can be liken to spring onions or leeks but with strong garlic flavor.
It can be used as a good stuff for chicken. Stir-fry the tips with fried “tofu,” you may also blend with ground meat and it as a hearty filling for dumpling. There is a Chinese cuisine that uses this herb, which is the stir-fried pig’s liver with “kuchay”.
Galangol
Though it resembles like a ginger, "galangol" is different. It has a strong flavor with citrusy taste. The texture of this is tougher – since you need to use a knife to chop it. "Galangol" is used in salads and soups like “tom kha gai,” one of Thailand's favorite dishes
Lemon Grass
A commonly used herb in Asian cuisine, lemon grass is packed with medicinal properties. It is in abundant in tropical countries like the Philippines. It has a scent that is a combination of lemon and ginger.
It is used to enhance the flavor of many dishes such as soups and curries. In the Philippines, it is used as stuff to chickens before grilling for “inasal” or used to provide extra flavor to “lechon”. You can steep the herb in hot water and add sugar to transform it into a rejuvenating drink too.
Kaffir lime leaves
If the Philippines have calamansi, Thailand has its own which is the kaffir lime. The rind of the lime is employed as a base for curry pastes, while the leaves can be mixed with curry or coconut milk-based or Thai dishes together with sweet basil.
My eleventh entry in the HubChallenge.