Sinju – the Manipuri recipe – was one of my favorite dishes I had in North-East Dhaba in JNU back in 2012. Although I didn’t get to savor it often enough, the taste has somehow stayed with me. It had a strong fermented fish scent, and that is what made it unique. I wanted a vegetarian alternative to it, and realized there is this herb (an invasive plant) that grows widely in Assam: Mousandari (fish mint), which might serve the purpose as it exudes a pungent fish like scent when plucked. And it did! At some point I will share the recipe, but this post is a result of my experiments with fish mint in these last few years.

Originally fish mint was baked with some cloves of garlic and mashed with a pinch of salt to make a side-dish for Assamese meals; eaten once in a while to keep the digestive functions smooth. It acts as an antidote for stomach troubles like dysentery and diarrhea. 

As meal preferences are changing with changing times, the wisest choice we have is to grow these herbs in our balconies or kitchen gardens and use them creatively in the kind of meals we prefer. A widely preferred snack (even a meal) these days is a healthy sumptuous salad.

It was such a pleasure to pluck fresh leaves and tomatoes and prepare a quick salad.   

A cup each of:

• boiled chickpeas
• cubes of raw cucumber
• chopped boiled potatoes (for a complete meal, optional) 

Half a cup each of 

• chopped raw juicy tomatoes
• chopped onions (optional)
• chopped fish mint

A tbsp. of chopped Indian mint (pudina), chopped green chilies (optional), and lemon juice.

Mix all together in a salad mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt as per taste and a tsp. of unrefined mustard oil (optional) and mix to get a natural healthy salad ready to savor!

Houttuynia Cordata, also called Fish Mint or Heart Leaf is an important medicinal plant in Ayurvedic sciences. It is rich in Vitamin A, Calcium and Keratin and has antiviral and antibacterial properties. Although it is more popular in eastern and southern Asian cuisine, many communities in Northeastern India continue to use this herb for garnishing their dishes.