Rice paddy herb
논 허브 / 응오옴
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Photo: Emilia Murray · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original file (Wikimedia Commons)
As the name suggests, it's a water plant that grows in rice paddies. Rub the leaves and you smell lemon and cumin (a curry spice) at the same time. It always tops the sour fish soup of southern Vietnam.
Flavor and aroma
- It has a lemon-zest freshness together with a warm, cumin-like spice aroma.
Fun facts
- The genus name Limnophila means "pond-loving" in Greek.
- It grows in paddies alongside rice, which is how it got the name "rice paddy herb."
- It needs high temperatures and humidity, so it's hard to grow outside the tropics.
In the kitchen
Raw
- Serve it with other herbs as a side of fresh greens.
Cooking
- Add it at the end of Vietnamese curries and stir-fries. Use it in freshwater fish dishes too.
Soups
- Roughly chop it raw over canh chua, the sweet-and-sour fish soup of southern Vietnam. The soup contains catfish or snakehead, tamarind, pineapple, tomato and bean sprouts.
Goes well with
FishChickenBeefPorkLemongrassBasilMintLimeRicePeanuts
Tips
- The aroma fades easily, so add it just before eating. If you can't find it, a little ground cumin and lime zest give a similar taste.
Season
We're still checking the season. We'll add it once we find a source.
Details
- Korean name
- 논 허브 / 응오옴
- English names
- rice paddy herb
- Scientific name
- Limnophila aromatica
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Genus
- Limnophila
- Other names and notes
- Vietnamese: ngò om, rau om
Show sources for this page
References for this herb
- NParks(싱가포르 국립공원청)
- Wikipedia
- Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
- Specialty Produce
- Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation
Name and classification
Photo
Emilia Murray · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original file (Wikimedia Commons)