Herb
Mixed herbs
Also called Vietnamese herbs, sawtooth, Thai basil, mint
On this site, a stand-in for the plate of fresh herbs served with phở and many Vietnamese meals: Thai basil, mint, sawtooth coriander, sometimes rice paddy herb and lettuce. It is a mixed garnish you build at the table, not a dried Italian 'mixed herbs' tin.
Origin
The herb plate is a mainland Southeast Asian habit, strongest in Vietnam, where a soup or grilled meat is unfinished until you add raw leaves.
Flavour
Thai basil is anise and pepper; mint is cool; sawtooth is citrus and steel; lettuce is crunch. Wilted supermarket mix tastes of the plastic box.
How to use it
Wash, dry, and put the herbs on the table so people add their own to phở, bún chả, bún bò Huế or larb. Do not cook them into the broth — the point is raw perfume against hot soup. Tear basil so it does not bruise black; keep small mint leaves whole. If you cannot find sawtooth or Thai basil, ordinary basil plus mint plus coriander is a workable plate, not an authentic one. If the herbs are wet, they dilute the bowl.
Storage
Treat like salad: fridge, dry, loosely wrapped, used within a couple of days.
Recipes using it
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