Vietnamese mint (Persicaria Odorata)

my pot of daun kesum...just love the smell!

The Vietnamese mint or cilantro or Vietnamese coriander is a herb. Though called a mint, it has no relation to the mints or its family Lamiaceae. Vietnamese mint, Persicaria Odorata (Latin name) is in the family of Polygonaceae collectively known as smartweeds or pinkweeds. The herb or the leaves are widely used in South East Asian countries in their cooking. In Malaysia and Singapore it is called daun kesum or daun laksa (laksa leaf).

daun kesum (vietnamese mint)

The leaves have a lemony fragrant and spicy taste, reminiscent of the mint or lemon grass and can be eaten raw added to salad or used as a garnishing ingredient in spicy noodle soup ( laksa), so much so its popularly known here as laksa leaf. Also can be added to cooking asam pedas ikan (spicy fish soup). The herb when added to the cooking, will give the dish a peculiar taste and smell of the leaves. It can be easily grown, needs warm condition and damp or moist soil, and are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical countries.

I make this today for a side dish.....cucumber and pineapple salad

with mint and daun kesum and kafir lime juice

The herb can be grown easily by putting a bunch of daun kesum stems in water until they sprout white roots at the jointed stems. Then put them in pot with moist soil, fertilise and water them regularly. If you find your pot of daun kesum is drying and dying, most likely you have not given them enough water so the soil become dehydrated! Just take them out, cut all dying stems and leaves and repot with loose soil and water them. They will spring to life in no time!

yesterday I cooked asam pedas ikan with eggplants and tomatoes and

lots of daun kesum

my favourite... asam laksa or penang laksa with

daun kesum, cashew nut shoot and cucumber as garnishing
ingredients...hot and spicy!

According to Wikipedia, the Vietnamese claim that the herb can treat swellings, acne, indigestion, flatulence and stomach aches.....And they are used to repress sexual urges! It seems that many Buddhist monks grow this Vietnamese mint or daun kesum in their private garden and eat it frequently as a helpful step in their celibate life. There's a saying in Vietnamese, translated to 'if you want to reduce sexual desires, take this mint...but if you want the opposite effect, take bean sprouts'! Anybody want to prove this saying?