One day, Valerie was making salad with little leaf with green and purple. 

I asked her to give me one then smelled and tasted…” !!!!!!!!! ” that is right, it taste like shiso the Japanese herb even though these are Vietnamese herb. This herb beat the Korean sesame leaf! 

I asked where I could get it . She told me Cabramatta…it is sooo far! even further than Crows Nest! 

Then…I stopped East Lake shopping centre to hunt cheap banana ( banana is so expensive at the moment in Sydney ) and found this wonderful herb in Asian grocery shop. 

Only $1 a bunch! so cheap! 

Even though it tastes really the same as Japanese shiso, it looks different. 

We have green shies and red shiso but this Vietnamese herb has purple on one side and purple on the other side

One side…green

other side…purple 

Then I got exited and told Vietnamese friend Rochell about it. Then she told me her mum grow them. Even she has green herb as well

Then She gave me massive amount of this herb

See…

It is hard to tell but I got maybe 20 bunch worth herbs! 

Green one actually does not taste like shiso, it has lemon taste with it. 

Thanks Rochell!!!! This herb’s season is summer, the same as Japanese shiso. She promised me that she is going to give me this herb plant to grow in summer since it is not good time to grow at the moment. yay!!!!!!

I enjoy this Vietnamese herb by mixing in rice ( the best! ), pasta and udon or soba, the Japanese noodle.   When I eat this herb, it can tell, my soul is so happy. I guess my mum also grow shiso in Japan ( she even makes massive amount of juice by using red shiso) and I grew up with this herb so it has been big part of my diet. I am sooooo glad that  I can finally enjoy shiso so easily in Sydney!