Vietnamese Herb Garnish Plate (Dia Rau Song)

A plate of fresh herbs is served with many Vietnamese main dishes, including pho, Vietnam's national soup. In this version, from Andrea Nguyen, author of Pho Cookbook (Ten-speed press; $ 20), various options are available. You can make it very simple and use only mint and chili slices, or add more herbs if you want. If there is a Vietnamese market nearby, you should go there for spicy Thai mint (hung kay); culantro (ngo gai), a herb with a strong, slightly sweet taste of coriander; and rice grass (ngo om) with citrus and cumin flavors. Thai basil can be purchased at farmers ' markets, Asian grocers, and a wide variety of grocery stores.This recipe is suitable for: Pho Chicken in a pressure cooker
Freshen the greens at least 30 minutes and no more than 2 hours before serving: trim the stems. Place the mint (plus coriander and regular basil, if using), stem side down, in a large bowl of water. Completely submerge the Thai basil, culantro, and rice paddy greens (if using) in bowls of water. Dry the greens.Leave the bean sprouts raw or soften them a little to give the pho a gentle crunch. When the pho noodle water boils (step 10 of the master recipe), add the bean sprouts, stir for about a minute, and remove with a strainer; place on a paper towel to drain.Place the chili on a small platter and transfer to a large plate or assorted platter. Put everything else on a plate and serve immediately.