Fish Mint (Rau Diếp Cá, Houttuynia cordata) in Chicago

This discussion started over in Josephine's magnificent Recipes from Yunnan series. I thought splitting off a separate thread here makes sense.

Josephine wrote:Lizard Tail, Yunnan Style

Not actual lizard tail, of course, but this:


Mountain Herb, Dali by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Houttuynia_cordata is an herb that grows along the banks of rivers in Yunnan and elsewhere in Asia, from Korea to Vietnam. The picture above was taken by a mountain stream on the day we picked tea near Dail, Yunnan. According to Wikipedia, Houttuynia cordata is known by a number of English names, including lizard tail, chameleon plant, heartleaf, fishwort or fish mint and bishop's weed. You can spot houttuynia cordata in this photograph from the market in Dali. It is the green, heart-shaped group of leaves in the basket at the center of the photo, (under the man wearing the navy parka.)


First Mountain Herb of Spring, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Here is the recipe our Yunnanese hosts gave for the uncooked salad made from this green:

Use both root and leaf
Sauce: 2 teaspoons vinegar (I use Chinkiang), 1t. chili oil, 1t. sesame oil, 1 t. soy sauce
Marinate 10 minutes, not more.
Top with chopped coriander, spring onion, and finely chopped smashed garlic.
Serve.

You don't have to wait for a trip to Asia to try lizard tail. This photo comes from a recent lunch at Yan Bang Cai (228 West Cermak, Chicago). Note that the Sichuan version is topped with hot preserved or pickled peppers:


Fish Root by Josephine2004, on Flickr

You don't even have to wait for a trip to Yan Bang Cai.

"Ze'er Geng or Cold Fish Root" at Yan Bang Cai


Houttuynia cordata can be found in Chicago's Vietnamese markets, usually called fish mint or rau diếp cá (or a close spelling variant). I picked up some at both Hoa Nam (1101 W Argyle) and Tai Nam (4925 N Broadway). At Hoa Nam it's at the far end of the vegetable and herb section. There are no labels to guide you.



This is what to look for: heart-shaped leaves (thus cordata) and red stems. The stems are round unlike true mints which have square stems.



At Tai Nam it's clearly labeled.



Especially after being washed it smells remarkably like an old aquarium.



The recipe Josephine gives above, and the similar dish at Yan Bang Cai, is really quite delicious (not to mention simple to prepare). It's going to become a regular in my kitchen.



And, hey, it's good for what ails ya. Take a look at Dr Fishmint treating various maladies.

Geo wrote:I don't know if you'd be interested, but you can buy plants--seeds don't breed true--of mountain herb at several places. But it looks invasive--probably should be grown in a tub.

I thought I read somewhere that it's easy to root. I have sprigs from both sources sitting in water but already it doesn't look promising.

Thanks for starting a dedicated thread for this herb, Rene G. I really enjoyed it in Yunnan and was surprised to see it in Chicago. We'll see what STL has to offer. And I'm going to get a friend to translate that "what ails you" link.

Rene G wrote:Houttuynia cordata can be found in Chicago's Vietnamese markets, usually called fish mint or rau diếp cá (or a close spelling variant). I picked up some at both Hoa Nam (1101 W Argyle) and Tai Nam (4925 N Broadway).

At Viet Hoa (1051 W Argyle) it's translated as "fishy chick." I have no idea why they call it that but I like it.

Rene G wrote:I thought I read somewhere that it's easy to root. I have sprigs from both sources sitting in water but already it doesn't look promising.

I've tried sprouting fish mint once, and it just rotted in the water. You may be remembering that I told you that laksa leaves (rau răm) are extremely easy to root. I found this out the easy way, when a stray bag of laksa leaves got loose in my trunk mid-summer. A week or two later I found the leaves in perfect health with roots growing from the humidity in the bag.

laikom wrote:

Rene G wrote:I thought I read somewhere that it's easy to root. I have sprigs from both sources sitting in water but already it doesn't look promising.

I've tried sprouting fish mint once, and it just rotted in the water. You may be remembering that I told you that laksa leaves (rau răm) are extremely easy to root. I found this out the easy way, when a stray bag of laksa leaves got loose in my trunk mid-summer. A week or two later I found the leaves in perfect health with roots growing from the humidity in the bag.

Ha! They probably became carnivorous with all the BBQ droppings that must be in your trunk--THAT'S why the leaves looked so healthy!!!

You might try rooting fish mint in damp perlite. Dip the cuttings in a bit of Damp Off and Rootone before inserting in the perlite. I suspect it'll work like a champ.

Geo

That's what she said.

Rene G wrote:At Tai Nam it's clearly labeled.

It still is clearly marked at Tai Nam.

For dinner tonight I hope to make the recipe Josephine posted.

Thanks to you both for posting!

Edited to add: We did have the salad for dinner

Rene G wrote:Especially after being washed it smells remarkably like an old aquarium.

this was just too powerful of description and was all I could think about after washing/preparing/eating the salad. I didn't enjoy it. Mrs Willie did however & when I told her of this description of Fish Mint, she said she didn't pick up any old aquarium notes.

They sell this at the plant sales at the Oak Park Conservatory. Sometimes it says chameleon plant. It's semi-aquatic, so i planted it by a downspout and it's doing very well. great on sandwiches and in pesto.

sedna wrote:They sell this at the plant sales at the Oak Park Conservatory. Sometimes it says chameleon plant. It's semi-aquatic, so i planted it by a downspout and it's doing very well. great on sandwiches and in pesto.

Interesting that the "Chameleon" selection (variegated) can be used the same way as the straight species.