Hà Nội Herbs Chutney

December 22, 2009

Hà Nội Herbs Chutney © kvalifood.com

A cooked chutney built on Hà Nội herbs - the aromatic, sharp-flavoured herbs that define Northern Vietnamese cooking. They get simmered down with green mango, sweet potato, ginger and fish sauce until almost all the liquid is gone, then mashed into a thick, jammy paste. The green mango brings tartness, the sweet potato gives it body, and the fish sauce ties it all together. Meant to be spooned alongside grilled meats, rice dishes or anything that needs a hit of herby, savoury depth.

Ingredients

6½ oz (200 g) thinly sliced fresh Hà Nội herbs
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp nuoc mam
1/2 (2 cm) ginger
½ oz (10 g) grated green mango
¼ oz (10 g) sweet potato
¼ oz (10 g) onion
Thinly sliced chilli

Directions

Peel and finely chop the ginger. Dice the sweet potato into small cubes so it breaks down easily during cooking. Finely chop the onion.
Put the herbs, ginger, green mango, sweet potato, onion and chilli in a pan. Add a glass of water and stir in the honey and fish sauce.
Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat. Let it cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato has softened completely and nearly all the liquid has evaporated. This takes a while - don’t rush it with high heat or the herbs will turn bitter.
Take the pan off the heat. Mash everything together with a fork until you have a rough, thick paste. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth - some texture is good.
Taste and adjust with a pinch of pepper and more fish sauce if needed.

Notes

The herbs: Hà Nội herbs are the aromatic herbs of Northern Vietnamese cuisine - kinh giới (Vietnamese balm), tía tô (red perilla), rau ngổ (rice paddy herb), thì là (dill), húng láng (Lang village basil). Use a mix of whichever you can find. Vietnamese balm and perilla are the most important ones. If you’re stuck, a combination of regular basil, mint and dill gets you in the right neighbourhood.
Green mango: Needs to be unripe and sour. If you can’t find green mango, a squeeze of lime juice stirred in at the end gets you partway there.
Sweet potato: Acts as a thickener and adds a subtle sweetness that balances the fish sauce. Don’t skip it - without it the chutney won’t hold together properly.
Keeps for a few days in the fridge in a sealed jar. The flavour develops overnight.