How to Grow and Cook Vietnamese Mint

While I am trying my hand at vegetable growing this season, it is the herbs in my garden that are making their way into our kitchen on a daily basis. My cucumbers are still to ripen; there's only a few small tomatoes fruiting and so far only a handful of beans have been harvested... but the herbs are always ready to pick, with Vietnamese mint being the stand-out winner so far.

Remember a while back I recycled a garden pond into a herb garden? Well, among the herbs planted in that was a tiny Vietnamese mint seedling.

This was what it looked like back then:  (You can see the mint on the left.)

This is it now:

When we moved to the hills for a few months, I left my pond herb garden here, taking only the herbs I thought I would use: parsley, coriander, basil, oregano... the Vietnamese mint was left in the pond garden all on its own.

Fast forward five months and it has taken over the pond container and is flourishing! Next it in this photo are some chives (with the purple flowers) a random vine - not sure what it is!, a capsicum seedling, a parsley seedling and basil.

What I have learned about growing Vietnamese mint:

- Originating from South-East Asia, it loves our hot and humid tropical weather.
- It is hardy. I left it in the pond garden for months, with no additional watering except from rain as it fell, and it not only survived, it flourished.
- Use a container to grow it in - unless you want it taking over the garden.
- You can grow it from a cutting. The mint sends out runners, just pick one with a few roots on it and you can easily propagate this herb. A friend of mine took a runner from this herb pond recently, and she reports it is growing well in her garden.

What I have learned about cooking with Vietnamese mint:

- Use it in the same way you would use coriander. Coriander is the closest thing I can think of that describes the taste of Vietnamese mint.
- Use the freshly picked whole leaves in Vietnamese rolls (with rice paper) and Asian-style salads.
- Team it with a sesame oil, tofu and vegetables for a delicious stir-fry
- use it in a laksa.

And, here's a recipe I cooked last night using Vietnamese mint:

Megan's Chilli Beans and Vietnamese Mint


1. Saute a chopped onion, garlic clove, a couple of celery stalks and a carrot chopped into small chunks.
2. As you are frying, add the following spices and herbs to your taste:

-chilli powder (or fresh chilli, if you have)
-cumin powder
-tumeric
-garam masala
-ground coriander seed

3. When vegetables with spices look softened, add a tin of drained kidney beans and cook together for a minute or two.

4. Add a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes.

5. Add a few (or a handful) of chopped Vietnamese mint leaves.

6. Simmer gently for 20 mins or so...

7. Serve with rice.

How about you - have you grown and/or cooked with Vietnamese mint? I'd love some more ideas on how to use it...

x
Megan