It was late and there were still further trains to catch, so it was supper at the station: steaming bowls of pho and, to my joy, big fat leaves of culantro (Eryngium foetidum), floating in the broth. Culantro looks a bit like a dandelion in leaf, and has a powerful coriander kick. It’s much loved in many cuisines, hence its many names: Mexican coriander, chadon beni, long coriander, recao, Thai parsley and sawtooth herb. A few years ago, you’d have to hunt high and low to get the seeds, but not today – there are numerous online offers.
Being the sort of plant that wants to bask in humidity and heat, it’s hard to please in the UK, so treat culantro as an annual, sowing from now onwards in a heated propagator, and raising it indoors until the summer. It germinates at around 23-25C and can take up to 25 days to do so.
Don’t make the mistake of growing it on a hot, sunny windowsill, though, as that will cause it to bolt – it needs a little shade. It also seems to very much resent being potted on, as it clearly doesn’t like root disturbance; start it off in 9cm pots to minimise this.
Another Vietnamese herb that I’ve only recently started growing, but which is becoming a firm favourite, is Vietnamese balm, aka kinh gioi (Elsholtzia ciliata). I found it in the fresh section of an Asian supermarket and propagated in a glass of water, where it rapidly took root. It looks like an oversized lemon balm and has the most amazing flavour: somewhere between lemon balm and lemon verbena, with a hint of mint. Kinh Gioi makes a very good tea, and is another that works well in summer rolls and salads; its flavour is strong enough to hold in soups, too. Right now, mine is living by the kitchen sink, but I’ll send it outside once it’s warm enough, and take cuttings to bulk it up.
You could also try fish mint (Houttuynia cordata), which has a very distinctive flavour: mint and strong coriander, with an even stronger fishy smell to the leaves. It is used in fish soups, egg dishes, summer rolls and salads. Try it marinated in chilli, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. If you get a taste for it, you will find it quite addictive.
You’ll find fish mint in the pond section of the garden centre, where it certainly isn’t being sold as a food. It needs a shady location and damp or moist soil, and will spread considerably if it’s happy. So if you don’t want it to dominate, it’s one to grow in a pot.
