Húng lìu

Spice mixture found in Vietnamese cuisine

Húng lìu is a spice mixture of four or five spices found in Vietnamese cuisine.[1] It is named after sweet basil.

Ingredients

Húng lìu typically consists of four ingredients ground into a fine powder:[1]

  • Chinese cinnamon (as opposed to Saigon cinnamon)
  • Star anise
  • Thảo quả (Amomum tsao-ko)
  • Clove

Some recipes call for five ingredients, with the addition of sweet basil seeds.[2]

Less common ingredients may include:[3]

  • Fennel
  • Ngọc khấu (Myristica fragrans)
  • Black pepper
  • Zest of Citrus deliciosa Tenore (quýt trần bì or quýt Hương Cần, a willowleaf Mandarin orange)
  • Ngò gai seeds (Eryngium foetidum)

Usage

In northern Vietnam, húng lìu is typically used on roasted foods, such as roasted pig and crunchy coated peanuts (lạc rang húng lìu). Húng lìu and five-spice powder have similar ingredients and can be used interchangeably on meat dishes. Húng lìu differs from the more well-known Cantonese blend in the portions of each ingredient, thus producing a distinct taste.[3]

In the late 1920s, various phở vendors experimented with húng lìu as part of a short-lived "phở cải lương" trend.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b Thanh Nguyên (July 2012). "Phá xang" [Roasted peanuts]. Lớp Học Vui Vẻ (in Vietnamese) (14): 57. Retrieved 3 December 2013. Húng lìu cũng giống như gia vị ngũ vị hương mà chúng ta thường dùng để nấu thịt, tuy nhiên húng lìu thông thường có 4 vị là: quế, hồi, thảo quả, đinh hương.
  2. ^ Hồ Ngọc Đức (ed.). "húng lìu". Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (in Vietnamese).
  3. ^ a b "Húng lìu là gì? Bí quyết dùng húng lìu để rang lạc thơm phức" [What is húng lìu? The secrets of using húng lìu to make delicious roasted peanuts] (in Vietnamese). Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics & Tourism. June 23, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  4. ^ Trịnh Quang Dũng (15 January 2010). "Phở muôn màu muôn vẻ" [Pho has ten thousand colors and ten thousand styles]. Báo Khoa Học Phổ Thông (in Vietnamese). Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  5. ^ Thạch Lam (1943). "Phụ thêm vào phở"  [Adding to pho]. Hà Nội băm sáu phố phường  [Hanoi: 36 streets and districts] (in Vietnamese). Đời Nay Publishing House – via Wikisource.
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