I'm interested in growing vietnamese herbs, specifically those used in Pho, Bun Bo Hue.. etc.

I've got Coriander (for banh mi & Pho), "Rau Ram" (aka Vietnamese coriander, or knotweed), Mint. But I can't seem to find anything else - lemon grass, or the myriad of herbs i can find in the local vietnamese markets. Can anyone shed some light on a source of these herbs? Has anyone had success propogating herbs from the market?

Lemongrass only requires a bit of the base where the root is. Stick it in the ground, water, and you'll have a mass by the end of the summer.

For more sources, read the FAQ to this forum.

Esobofh, many Asian herbs are used for medicinal rather than culinary purposes. They may still end up in a pot of food and are consumed that way.

Richters sells quite a few Vietnamese herbs altho' they may not all be so identified (linked below). There is also quite a bit of discussion in their "Culinary Herbs and Their Uses" about those from Viet Nam. I've purchased from this company a few times and have always been happy with them.

There's a new book at my library that I haven't checked out yet: Into the Vietnamese kitchen : treasured foodways, modern flavors / Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen. I don't know if they have a source list but it may be fun and some help.

Steve

Pho:
La' Que ( basil)
Ngo` Gai ( I don't know English name for it)
Ngo` (cilantro)
Gia' (Bean sprout)

Bun Bo` Hue:

Same as above except Ngo` Gai, you can have Rau Ram (Vietnamese coriander), some Hu'n Cay (Mint), Banana flowers (optional).

Hope this helps.

Professor Michel H. Porcher has a great deal of information on that website but, I don't believe, there are any seed sources.

On the other hand, if you need names and don't have a knowledgeable native speaker to help - it is a good and extensive resource.

Steve

__ Thai Bails
__ Shiso
__ Chinese Celery
__ lemongrass
__ Mint(Korean variety)

There are alot more that I can grow them by rooting, but I don't know what they are.

Growing by rooting is much faster and easier than growing from seeds.

Cyrus

This is what I have always done.

With mint,basil,ngo om, I always remove the leaves from bottem of the stem and put them in water so the roots can grow (about 3-6 days) then when the sun is down I put it in the garden. Within next few days they are stronger and with the already new roots they are less likely to die or wilt. With my experience is pick young stems and whatever that does not grow roots toss them out.

I also do this with green onions and lemongrass. :) Happy gardening..

btw with ngo gai I put them in a big ceramic pot and plant them from seeds mine are still small but I put them under the deck or where theres mainly shaded area.

Another vietnamese herb thats use in Pho Ga and Hu Tieu and springrolls is He (chinese garlic chives) very GOOD if you can grow them out thick and they have such a pleasant garlicky smell to it.

Happy Gardening.:)