Asian Herbs Category

This is used in Southeast Asia.

This name is also used for screwpine leaves. Bai-toey leaves are about four inches in diameter, and smell a bit like a dentist's office. Look for them in Southeast Asian markets.

The Vietnamese wrap beef in these leaves, while others chew them like gum.

This herb isn't nearly as hot as the chile that comes from the same plant. It's sometimes used as a cooking green in Southeast Asia.

Unlike regular chives, these have flat leaves and a distinct garlicky flavor.

These come from the same plant as Chinese chives. They're usually marketed and cooked before the buds open.

This has jagged leaves. It's fairly pungent, so it's rarely eaten raw.

A kaffir lime leaf look as if two glossy, dark green leaves were joined together end to end, forming a figure-eight pattern. Most Thai recipes count each double leaf as two separate leaves. Frozen kaffir lime leaves are a good substitute for fresh. Dried leaves are much less flavorful, so use twice as many as the recipe calls for if you're substituting them for fresh leaves.

These are used as meat wrappers in Vietnam.

Vietnamese sprinkle this herb on their laksa soups. It has a strong, minty, peppery flavor. It's sold in bunches with lots of pointy leaves on each stem.

This has a lemony flavor, and small, pointed, fuzzy leaves. Thai cooks toss it into soups, salads, and noodle dishes.

Thai cooks use these grayish green stalks to impart a lemony flavor to their dishes. Remove the outer leaves, then use about six inches of the base, discarding the top and the very bottom. It's best to cut lemongrass into large pieces that can be easily removed after the dish is cooked. Frozen lemongrass is a good substitute for fresh, but dried lemongrass (soaked in hot water) is only a fair substitute. Use powdered version (called sereh powder) only in a pinch.

The Japanese use this to flavor soups and salads.

Vietnamese and Thai cooks use this herb in soups and curry dishes.

These sword-shaped leaves are about two feet long. Look for plastic bags of folded leaves among the frozen foods in Asian markets.

This comes from the same plant that gives us sesame seeds. Koreans use them to wrap packets of meat or as a fresh herb.

The Japanese mostly use this pungent herb to flavor pickled plums. It comes in two colors: red and green.

This has a pleasant anise flavor, and is the most commonly used basil in Thailand.

Thai basil has purple stems and flowers. It has a milder flavor than holy basil.

These leaves are purple on one side and green on the other. They have a pleasant, peppery flavor that tastes a bit like cinnamon. Vietnamese cooks often add them to soups at the last minute.

These are Chinese chives that have been shielded from the sun in order to stifle the production of chlorophyll. Use them just like ordinary Chinese chives.