Would you like to know a traditional use for it? The Vietnamese eat the small, young leaves with boiled, fertilized eggs, something I learned from some ladies who run a nail salon I deliver to.

If this wasn't the type of thing you were thinking of, here's a salad I make with it:

Chicken Salad with Rao Ram - Go Xe Phai

2 cup(s) cooked chicken; shredded
3 tb lime juice (fresh)
3 tb fish sauce
2 tb rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar; OR to taste
2-3 medium thai dragons; OR serranos, minced
2-3 clove(s) garlic; minced
3 medium shallots; sliced thin
1 cup(s) bean sprouts; blanched
2 cup(s) napa cabbage; shredded
2/3 cup(s) rao ram; chopped coarse
1 tsp white pepper; optional

A. Combine lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, chiles, and sugar, and stir to dissolve. Separate shallots into rings and mix with the dressing. Set aside while preparing rest of dish.

B. Tear chiken into shreds by hand, or cut into matchstick shreds with a knife. Blanch sprouts 20-30 sec., rinse with cold water, and drain. Toss with the napa, chicken, and rao ram. Pour dressing over, and mix well.

C. Serve as a salad, with freshly ground white pepper, if desired, with a rice or noodle dish, or serve as a filling for rice wraps.

Note: Cooked turkey also very good in this, and savoy cabbage may be substituted for the napa.

Those are cool ideas, pepperhead. I'm wondering whether they're made with rau ram (Vietnamese coriander) or rau om. Either way, I'm looking forward to trying them!

A misinterpretation on my part nyg - I figured you meant rao ram, not ngo om, but you did say rice paddy plant. I have never grown it, figuring it must need constant wetness. Did you grow it, and how did it grow? I have only used it a couple of times, and it was in soups, as you mentioned. I don't have it in my CB files, but it was similar to a Thai hot and sour soup, with tamarind and lime for the sour, and some pineapple for sweet, and I used nam prik pao in it, as it also called for sried shallots. It was also finished with Thai basil, in combo with the ngo om. I'll try to find the recipe in my many books down there...it was very good, and this gives me an incentive to input it into my files!

Dave

It grows fine in garden soil in full sun if well-watered. A really tasty herb. Some people have said they've rooted stems bought in Asian markets; or you can buy plants. It's not winter-hardy, of course, so best to plant outdoors in June or overwinter indoors in a bright, humid room.

Thanks for searching for recipes! I'll check again to see if you've posted one.

Here it is, along with a recipe for a very useful Thai seasoning paste I have been making for years, after taste-testing over a dozen peppers in it. It replaces the crispy shallots and garlic in the soup, and actually tastes better.

VIETNAMESE SWEET AND SOUR SHRIMP SOUP

2 tb nam prik pao; to taste
5 cup(s) chicken broth
1-2 tb fish sauce; to taste
1-2 tb sugar; to taste
2 tb tamarind paste
2 plum tomatoes; peeled
1 6-8 in. piece taro; peeled
1/2 lb medium shrimp; peeled, deveined
2 tb lime juice (fresh)
1/2 cup(s) pineapple; in 1/2 in. cubes
1 cup(s) bean sprouts
2 tb rice paddy herb; chopped
2 tb thai basil; chopped
2 thai dragons; chopped (optional)
2 tb crispy shallots; optional
1 tb oil; optional
2 tsp garlic; minced (optional)

A. Soften the tamarind in 1/4 c warm water; press through a strainer to remove seeds and fiber. Cut taro root lengthwise, and cut into 1/2" slices; cover with water and set aside. Cut tomatoes lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds, making six pieces each. Chop up the herbs and chiles, if used.

B. In a large saucepan combine 1 tb nam prik pao, broth, 1 tb fish sauce, 1 tb sugar, tamarind, and lime juice, and bring to a simmer. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Add tomatoes and taro and simmer 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until done, 2-3 min., depending on size. Remove from heat, and stir in the bean sprouts, herbs, 1 tb nam prik pao, and chiles to taste, if used. Serve, with additional nam prik pao for guests to add, if desired.

Note: if nam prik pao is unavailabe, heat the oil in the saucepan and cook the garlic until golden, before adding the broth. Finish off with crispy shallots.

NAM PRIK PAO

4 oz shallots; peeled
2 oz garlic; peeled
1-1 1/2 oz chile peppers; (see note)
1 cup(s) oil
1/4 cup(s) oil; optional
1 tsp salt; optional

A. Place garlic in food processor and chop fine. Add shallots and pulse until chopped fine. Remove about 2/3 of the mix to an 8" saute pan, returning any large pieces that may be left behind. Add the whole chiles, if used, then the oil, and process until the chiles are finely chopped, about 2 min. Scrape into pan and add 1/4c oil + salt if using more as a condiment than an ingredient in Thai food.

B. Mix well and place pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until temp. reaches around 270º, then stir constantly and scrape pan bottom, until temp reaches 290º. Immediately scrape into a metal bowl and let cool.

Note: Use the maximum oil and the salt to make a more liquidy, condiment type sauce. Omit the salt and use 1 c oil for a paste, for cooking with. For the peppers, use whole sanaam or crushed pakistan pepper from Penzey's Spices OR www.myspicer.com for the sanaams much cheaper.

Can't wait to try it! Thanks.

you could cover "bo tai chanh "with rau ngo om and shredded onion, it's delicious. K

My wife uses it with chicken dishes.