Favourite Herbs

Today’s blog post is going to be about some common herbs and easy but not common ways to use them because it rained this morning so there was no outdoor demonstration. It’s easy enough to toss a bunch of herbs together to add fragrance to any soup or salad dressing, but one of the most important things seldom discussed in cookery is the proper combination of herbs.

Mint (Mentha asiatica)

In Penang, we use mint for nyonya laksa (white rice noodles in a spicy fish broth) and in all kinds of Malay-style kerabu salads. Mint also goes well with seafood and red meat, cutting down on the fishy odour as well as the strong ‘meaty’ smell from beef, mutton or lamb. That’s why it’s used in lamb or mutton korma. But because of its strong fragrance, you have to be careful when combining it with other herbs which are more delicate.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)

A great favourite in local cookery, lemongrass is used in Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes, as well as Thai and Burmese cooking. It’s citrusy perfume is strong but has a delicate body so larger quantities are needed when combining it with garlic, onions, mint or the local form of basil. You can make tea, puddings, jelly and even cake with it. It goes well with mint and laksa leaves, too! Incidentally, do you know how to differentiate between lemongrass and citronella (which isn’t good eating)? Scroll to the bottom for the trick!

Laksa leaves (Persicaria odorata)

Laksa leaves are also called Vietnamese coriander. They're strongly perfumed, and go well with lemongrass and mint in soups and curries. But laksa leaves can also be eaten in a salad (partner it with other strong-smelling vegetables!) or stir-fried with minced meat or chicken and a bit of soy sauce, oyster sauce or Thai fish sauce (nam pla) as a substitute for krapow or Thai basil (Ocimum basilicum) and you will get a lovely dish to go with white rice. Add a bit of bird’s eye chilli (chilli padi) too if you want, for the extra fragrance.

Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Though not native, it grows very well in Penang. Its light, almost liquorice fragrance combines beautifully with seafood and lemon juice. Just wrap some fish in butcher’s paper or baking foil, throw in a sprig of dill, a dab of butter, a squeeze of lemon (put a slice of lemon in, too), a sprinkle of white wine (if you want), and chuck the whole thing in an oven or steamer for about 10 minutes and you’ll get a nice poisson en papillote without having to go to a highty-tighty restaurant and pay premium prices. It works with prawns, too!

Some members also happened to drop by after the rain stopped and wanted a quick lesson on printing over black and coloured t-shirts so that’s what we did instead. Here’s a look at the students’ work from this morning.

Here’s a bit of extra good news. We’ll be adding simple cooking with local herbs to our monthly activities. Different ways to use herbs is usually popular, so don’t forget to check back here regularly for news about our monthly activities!

Pssst! How do you tell the difference between lemongrass and citronella? Citronella stalks are pinkish while lemongrass stalks are green!