What Southeast Asian herbs are you growing?

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Permalink Reply by TAR HEEL on May 25, 2009 at 8:48pm

.....just eat the $%%#** tater.

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Permalink Reply by dolores p gomez on June 14, 2009 at 8:43pm

Maggie, you sound very interesting and well oriented in growing herbs, etc. I live in a warm climate with fertile soil. I have mostly fruit bearing trees and feel blessed. I don't have any herbs growing, but the one thing that I want to start on is the tumeric plant or herb. I heard you say that you have tumeric. I am interested in obtaining a tumeric root, so I can plants it. Do you know where I can find some? Thanks Maggie.

I read that someone wanted the tamarind leaves. IF that person sees this respond. How do you use them?
Is the tamarind pods, from the Tamarindo tree or am I confused?

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Permalink Reply by Maggie on June 14, 2009 at 9:40pm

You should be able to find turmeric root in an asian vegetable shop or an organic vegetable shop. Heather who started the discussion should know.
You just plant the turmeric in the ground. It grows well in moist warm climates.

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Permalink Reply by Heather Wood on June 14, 2009 at 11:01pm

Hi, Dolores. If you have trouble finding fresh turmeric root to plant, you can buy small started plants from Wellsweep Herbs at www.wellsweep.com. They have many hard-to-find Asian herbs. The best way to deal with them is to locate the plants you want in the online catalog, then call and place the order by phone.
Re tamarind, I was the one who was looking for leaves. This is the same tree that produces the tamarind pods. The pulp of the immature pods is in common use throughout Southeast Asia, and the mature pods are eaten out of hand as a fruit, often dipped in a little chile and salt. Both these forms are available to me. But recently I have come across references to the use of tamarind leaves as a flavoring herb, and I'm curious about what they taste like. The blocks of pulp imported into the US are pasteurized and so the seeds probably aren't viable, but I'm trying to start plants from the seeds found in the mature pods. No signs of growth yet, but it hasn't been very long. There are some Canadian nurseries that sell tamarind plants, but they're very expensive, so I'll hold off for a while and see if the seeds sprout.

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Permalink Reply by Valerianella on May 25, 2009 at 7:53am

Hi Heather, have you tried Richters Herbs? It is a Canadian herb nursery. I only know it because my German herb nursery sometimes sells seeds from them. Can you import herbs from Canada?
I grow several Asian herbs: turmeric, ginger, lemon grass, curry leaf, I also have some cardamom plants. I noticed the leaves of turmeric and cardamom have a delicious fragrance and I was wondering if people use them for anything. Maybe you can share some recipes with us.
The leaves of cardamom remind me of some jelly sweet that I ate as a child and those of turmeric remind me of fresh carrot but much sweeter.
I also grow brahmi and gotu kola, I read somewhere their leaves can be added to salads but I am not quite sure about this.
Today I planted some perilla or red shiso, I hope it will grow. Its seeds are supposed to be very rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
Amla or Amalaki is another Asian plant that I try to grow, I wonder if it will ever produce fruit here in Greece, the guava trees have actually produced some flower buds for the first time this year (although I think they are not native to Asia), anyway they are beautiful trees.

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Permalink Reply by Heather Wood on May 25, 2009 at 5:53pm

It sounds like you have a wonderful collection. We can import herbs from Canada, albeit with some delay and difficulty (can't have any insidious seditious green plants crossing the border, after all), and I did locate a seedling tamarind tree at another Canadian nursery, Flora Exotica. I hope to have turmeric leaves to experiment with soon, but there are no cardamom leaves in my immediate future. That may be my next search project.
Most of the Southeast Asian recipes I'm enjoying contain some shrimp paste or fish sauce and aren't vegan, but here's one of my favorites which is just as good or better in the vegan version.

Greens with black mustard seeds

4 tightly packed cups of assorted leafy greens, washed, central vein removed if needed, and thinly sliced. I don't like anything too bitter in this dish and tend to use some combination of chard, spinach, curly mallow, young nettles when in season, sweet potato leaves, and lambs-quarters.
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons whole black mustard seeds
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
a 1 inch piece of turmeric root, peeled and finely chopped
a 1 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped.
1-2 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar
salt to taste, or fish sauce to taste
6-8 curry leaflets, finely sliced, OR about 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves picked off the stems.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add the oil, and when hot put in the mustard seeds and stir a minute until they pop and turn a lighter color. Stir in the onion, saute until cooked but not browned, and add the chopped garlic, ginger, and turmeric to the pan. Saute until fragrant, add the sliced greens, and saute until they look cooked, adding the sugar and salt or fish sauce to taste. I keep the heat high and stir very frequently, but you can also use lower heat for a longer time. When they look "cooked," start tasting. As soon as they are tender and taste good, stir in the sliced curry leaves for a minute and serve. If using cilantro, sprinkle it on top. They make a good side dish for satay and similar grilled things, but I often add a cup of coconut milk, adjust salt if needed, and serve over rice or rice noodles for a light dinner.

I think that sliced turmeric leaves could serve as the final herb addition, but haven't had a chance to try that myself.

Let us know what you're cooking with your herbs.

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Permalink Reply by Heather Wood on May 25, 2009 at 8:08pm

Oh, and sorry about the American measurements. I'll hunt down a set of metric equivalents to keep near my computer in future.

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Permalink Reply by Gillian on June 14, 2009 at 11:17pm

That sounds delicious Heather - will have to try that recipe - thanks! - did you ask Ian to post it to all recipes?

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Permalink Reply by Maggie on June 15, 2009 at 3:07am

Hi Heather, this recipe sounds great.
I have just come in from the garden with some curry leaves and swiss chard and was wondering what I would cook so this sounds great.
My best friend is from Southern India and she fries the curry leaves with the mustard seeds or onions in the first step of making vegetarian curries. Try it the leaves become very fragrant and delicious.
I think it is great you have started this group and will post some information when I have more time.
Lots of Asian veggie recipes are packed full of nutrition, some thing a lot of cultures need to learn and practice to get healthy again.
Australia is close to all these amazing cuisines so I am sure there is a lot to learn from this group.

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Permalink Reply by Heather Wood on June 15, 2009 at 10:36pm

I did take your suggestion and I love how frying brings out the best flavor of the curry leaves. Please post more as you find time. Thanks, Heather

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Permalink Reply by Heather Wood on May 27, 2009 at 6:27pm

HI, all, I've started a group called Southeast Asian Food Enthusiasts for anyone who would like to exchange more info about this fascinating topic. I also corresponded with Abdrea Nguyen, author of "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen," and put her comments on culinay uses of chile pepper leaves on a discussion in the new group.

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Permalink Reply by Maxine Walker on May 30, 2009 at 3:20pm

These sources are listed in my book Oriental Vegetables by Joy Larkom It doesn't have many herbs in it but I thought these seed companies in Japan might be able to help you. 1) Kaneko Seeds, 50-12, Kuruichimachi 1-chome, Maebashi City, gunma Pref. 371 Japan. 2) Kyowa Seed, 15-13 Nanpeidei, , Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. 3) Mikado Seed Growers, 1203 Hoshikuki. Shiba City 280 Japan. Whew! Good luck

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