Vietnamese Coriander
From Academic Kids
Vietnamese Coriander (Polygonum odoratum syn. Persicaria odorata, Polygonaceae) is a herb whose leaves are commonly used in South-East Asian cooking. Despite the name, it is not a species of mint, but resembles mint somewhat in both appearance and taste. Other English names for the herb include Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese cilantro, Cambodian mint and hot mint. The Vietnamese name is Rau ram.
Above all, the leaf is identified with Vietnamese cuisine, where it is commonly eaten fresh in salads and in raw spring rolls (cha gio). Bowls of pho (beef noodles) are also typically garnished with Vietnamese mint.
In Singapore and Malaysia, the shredded leaf is an essential ingredient of laksa soup, so much so that the Malay name daun laksa means "laksa leaf".
