Translations:Vietnamese cuisine/51/en

Herbs and spices

Vietnamese hot chili peppers are added to most foods, especially in central and southern Vietnam.

• Coriander and green onion leaves can be found in most Vietnamese dishes.
• A basic technique of stir-frying vegetable is frying garlic or shallot with oil before putting the vegetable into the pan.
• In northern Vietnam, dishes with fish may be garnished with dill.
• In central Vietnam, the mixture of ground lemongrass and chili pepper is frequently used in dishes with beef.
• In southern Vietnam, coconut water is used in most stew dishes.
• The pair culantro (ngò gai) and rice paddy herb (ngò om or ngổ) is indispensable in all kinds of sour soups in the southern Vietnam.
• Spearmint is often used with strongly fishy dishes.
• Perilla is usually used with crab dishes.