Kinh gioi

Elsholtzia ciliata · Herb

40 pairings

Kinh giới (Elsholtzia ciliata), sold in the West as Vietnamese balm or lemon-mint, is a soft annual herb of the mint family whose bright, saw-toothed leaves smell of lemon crossed with warm cumin and a whisper of anise. It is one of the essential leaves of the northern Vietnamese herb plate, eaten raw with noodle soups, grilled and fried meats and fresh rolls, and steeped as a cooling summer tea.

Picking a good onedrag

Just cut, sprigs springy and loudLimp, blackened and sour

Market freshBuy it sold as food: it self-seeds along roadsides and waste ground, and verge or nursery plants carry sprays cleared only for ornamentals. Wash it, it is eaten raw.Everyday best

Where it came fromYour own plant, grown on from a food-grade start

The leafGreen but matte, an odd bruised or nicked edge

The square stemBends before it snaps, still green right through

Smell at a torn leafClear lemon-cumin once you pinch a leaf edge

What to look for, from just cut, sprigs springy and loud to limp, blackened and sour.

Preparing