Fish mint

어성초

Its Korean name, eoseongcho, literally means "fish-smelling herb." Rub the leaves and they really do smell fishy. In Korea it's mostly drunk as tea, but in Vietnam it's an herb eaten generously with wraps and noodles.

Flavor and aroma

It has a fishy aroma that reminds you of fish (people either love it or hate it).
Some also say it smells like rau ram and leaves an astringent aftertaste.

Fun facts

The fishy aroma comes from a compound called decanoyl acetaldehyde.
Its Chinese name yuxingcao (魚腥草) means "fishy-smelling herb." The Korean name eoseongcho uses the same characters.
In Japan and Korea it's used more as tea than as food, while in Vietnam, northeast India and southern China it's eaten as a vegetable.
Its leaves are heart-shaped, and colorful ornamental varieties are called "chameleon plant."

In the kitchen

Raw

Serve it as an herb with Vietnamese rice paper rolls and bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancake).

Drinks

In Korea and Japan the dried leaves are made into tea.

Cooking

Pile it onto grilled meat and noodle salads (such as bún chả). There's also a beef stir-fry with fish mint salad.

Sauces

In northeast India it's blended with onion and chili into a chutney.

Roots

In southern China the rhizomes are eaten too. They taste milder than the leaves.

Goes well with

GarlicChiliFermented foodsGrilled meatFish

Tips

It's strong, so start with a little mixed with other herbs.

Season

We're still checking the season. We'll add it once we find a source.

Details

Korean name: 어성초
English names: fish mint, chameleon plant, heartleaf
Scientific name: Houttuynia cordata
Family: Saururaceae
Genus: Houttuynia
Other names and notes: Vietnamese: diếp cá, Korean: eoseongcho, yakmomil

Show sources for this page

References for this herb

Wikipedia
Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
Atlas Obscura

Name and classification

Plants of the World Online (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)

Photo

Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original file (Wikimedia Commons)