Welcome to Friday Food Reviews, where I will cover a different food or product each week and look at… what they are.  where do they grow, what can we substitute them for in a recipe, and are they safe to eat, store, use, cook, or anything connected to that food? or product..all the why’s and the wherefores…it will, of course, be mainly my own opinion or a known fact…good or bad…there may even be a tried and tested recipe…or three… today I am looking at…Aromatic Leaves…Part 3.

Why am I looking at aromatic leaves?… As you know I am a foodie and I am always looking at recipes…many recipes especially Asian ones make use of aromatic leaves which are different from soft-leafed herbs like coriander and mint etc…

Many leaves that are native to other countries are now finding their way around the world as either dried or frozen I think that is great as we can widen our cooking repertoire and experience other flavours…some of which we may not like and others which may become a staple in our spice collection…

Bamboo Leaves:

One of the fastest growing plants on the planet bamboo has many uses including using the leaves to wrap food when steaming or cooking on the BBQ…The fresh leaves, harvested before they’ve dried and fallen from the plant, can be made into a delicious and nutritious tea, especially high in silica…

Herbal Aralia Leaf :

Herbal aralia is typically grown in the mountainous region of central Taiwan from 1,800m to 2,800m above sea level. The whole plant is edible, and the root and stalk are used for medicinal purposes. The tender leaves have a perfumed smell. That’s why the indigenous people use them to make dishes like stir-fried eggs and soup.

It can also be dried and mixed with other spices…the leaves are also used to smoke chicken on a charcoal fire, as the plant imparts its aroma onto the meat… it’s fast becoming a popular ingredient with local chefs as more and more local chefs are using little-known and indigenous ingredients which is great as at some point they will filter down to us in their dried form or in a spice mix.

Melientha Leaf:

Melientha…Is a wild tree, with evergreen leaves, that grows up to 10 m high…used as a medicinal plant in Thailand I was introduced to this plant and the lovely soup when I visited my Thai family I have since seen it on some local market stalls on occasion…

The young shoots, leaves and flowers serve as a vegetable in soup or dried fish curry. It is classed as a delicacy here and a quite expensive indigenous vegetable. I was told that the soup is also good if you have tummy problems…..

I enjoyed this lovely soup made with oyster mushrooms. melientha and ants eggs but not yet the dried fish curry…

I love that the Thais in the villages still practice the old ways with herbs and roots to cure a number of ills… Rather than conventional medicines that some cannot afford or trust.

Vine Leaves:

When I think of vine leaves Dolmas spring to mind…or wrapping feta cheese in vine leaves and baking…delicious…pr made crispy and delicious in a low oven and used as a garnish…in my mind, I am now sitting shade of an olive tree with a glass of beautiful wine, some freshly baked bread, dolmas, baked feta in vine leaves and some beautiful squid garnished with crispy vine leaves…then I woke up…lol…so if you are lucky enough to have a grapevine then make full use of its leaves as well as the luscious grapes…

Thank you for joining me today for some more aromatic leaves…xxx