Húng lìu facts for kids
Húng lìu is a spice mixture of four or five spices found in Vietnamese cuisine. It is named after sweet basil.
Ingredients
Húng lìu typically consists of four ingredients ground into a fine powder:
- 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.
Less common ingredients may include:
- 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.
In the late 1920s, various phở vendors experimented with húng lìu as part of a short-lived "phở cải lương" trend.
