Flavorful Tonkin Jasmine – Sesbania Flowers

Let’s enjoy Tonkin jasmine and sesbania blooms.

Vietnamese cuisine captivates not only with its rich ingredients but also with its sophisticated use of flowers like Tonkin jasmine and sesbania. These floral delights don’t just add poetic beauty; they bring unforgettable flavors to salads and soups and tantalizing stir-fries. For those who savor them, these flowers leave a lasting impression on the heart and palate.

Tonkin Jasmine

The vibrant green Tonkin jasmine, with its heart-shaped leaves swaying in the wind alongside clusters of delicate light-yellow flowers, was once a familiar sight in Northern Vietnam. The tiny, star-like five-petal flowers spread out gracefully, each attached to a slender, elongated corolla reminiscent of a fairy’s magic wand. This beautiful trellis has silently witnessed countless first loves and romantic moments, inspiring verses like these:

“The wind whispers secrets to the verdant attire, 

On Tonkin jasmine trellis, spring’s shadow shines.”

                           “The Ripe Spring”, Han Mac Tu

It is unclear whether the wind is “teasing” the “green attire” – the lush green leaves of the Tonkin jasmine or the delicate green dress of the girl standing by the trellis. And the “spring shadow” – does it signify the gradual transformation of the sky and earth in anticipation of spring’s beautiful return, or is it a metaphor for the youthful bloom of the young girl? The poet subtly invites the reader’s imagination and emotions, painting numerous poetic images with just two lines.

Tonkin jasmine is not only beautiful but also exudes a gentle fragrance that grows stronger as night falls, earning it the name “dạ lý hương” (jasmine of the night). Poet Nguyen Binh captured the elegant scent of Tonkin jasmine on a breezy autumn afternoon by the vast, deep blue lake:

“Deep blue sky mirrors the lake’s serene sheen, 

Tonkin jasmine’s scent drifts in autumn’s gentle scene.”

                                    “An Autumn Scene”

After letting your mind wander through beautiful verses, let’s return to the family kitchen and savor some delicious dishes made from Tonkin jasmine. Tonkin jasmine flowers stir-fried with garlic are simple yet incredibly tasty. The flowers are crispy, fragrant, and tender, with a touch of saltiness and richness, complemented by sweet fried garlic. Some prefer to stir-fry with dried shallots, fearing that the strong garlic aroma might overpower the delicate fragrance of the flowers.

In addition to being stir-fried with garlic, Tonkin jasmine flowers can be paired with a variety of protein-rich ingredients like beef, pork, shrimp, chicken gizzards, and eggs. No matter which companions they have, the flowers retain their gentle and modest nature, imparting a refreshing flavor that elevates the entire dish.

In stir-fried dishes, the aroma of Tonkin jasmine deeply infuses the flowers. However, in soups, that fragrance melds seamlessly into the broth, creating an unforgettable aftertaste. Whether paired with shrimp, pork paste, crab paste, beef, or minced meat, Tonkin jasmine flowers elevate each ingredient, crafting a unique delicacy that lingers on the palate, evoking emotions as profound as poetry.

According to Vietnamese folklore, the tale of the Tonkin jasmine begins with a married couple. The husband was renowned for his flute-playing talent. A viper, enchanted by his music, transformed into his wife in an attempt to deceive him. A wise old man was called upon to identify the real wife. In the final test, the true wife recognized her husband from afar, while the viper guessed incorrectly. The peculiar flower that blossomed in the couple’s home was later named after the wife, Lý, along with the word “thiên” (thousand), symbolizing that she would recognize her husband even from a thousand miles away. Thus, the Tonkin jasmine, or “thiên lý,” got its name.

With the song “Oh the Far Away Tonkin Jasmine Trellis”, musician Pham Duy has touched many hearts. Drawing inspiration from English folk music, he composed Vietnamese lyrics based on the French version “Chèvrefeuille que tu es loin”, a song about honeysuckle and a sad love. The musician immediately thought of Tonkin jasmine and the innocent love blossoming under its trellis. “Poor boy, he misses his homeland forever, the Tonkin jasmine trellis has been far away…” The Vietnamese lyrics are passionate and romantic, evoking sadness without being pitiful. They perfectly complement the gentle melody, echoing the voice of a “sad young heart”.

Tonkin jasmine has long journeyed from the North to the South, gracing Southern folk songs with its radiant and graceful presence:

“Your long hair adorned with a Tonkin jasmine flower, 

Your smile, so bright, has captured my heart forever.”

The Southern style is known for its straightforward and frank nature, which is why Southern people often include Tonkin jasmine flowers in salads with beef, chicken, pork, clams, or create vegetarian salads with mushrooms, carrots, and banana blossoms. Tonkin jasmine flower clam salad is especially unique, both colorful and multi-dimensional in flavor. The chewy, sweet clams with a hint of salty sea taste are mixed with the soft, crunchy Tonkin jasmine flowers and spicy chili peppers, all embraced by sweet and sour fish sauce and fragrant fried lemongrass.

Sesbania Flowers

Every flood season, the fields of Vietnam’s Southwest are submerged in red, alluvium-rich waters. Amid the vast expanse of water, only the tops of tall trees and slender rows of trees with small tamarind-like leaves and bright yellow mai-like flowers remain visible. From afar, the clusters of flowers sway in the sun like butterflies fluttering in the blue sky. These are the wild sesbania flowers, affectionately called “mai flowers of the flood season” by the residents of the Southwest.

Wild sesbania is a gift from nature to the Southwest during the flood season. In the past, when the floodwaters arrived and there was a shortage of rice and vegetables, the people of the Southwest turned to wild sesbania flowers. They ate them raw, dipped them in braised sauce, cooked them in sour soup, and made pickles. Hence, wild sesbania flowers are also known as “famine relief flowers.” To ensure they remain sweet and delicious, they must be picked at dusk or before dawn, because once the sun rises and the bees come to suck the nectar, they lose their sweetness.

The petals of wild sesbania flowers are soft, making them perfect for eating raw, dipping in braised sauce, or mixing with freshwater shrimps in a salad. When you chew a wild sesbania flower, the tip of your tongue first encounters the slight bitterness of the petals. As you chew more carefully, the sweetness from the nectar and the richness of the stem emerge. Add a few freshwater shrimps and a leaf of herbs, and your taste buds will experience a delightful pleasure you’ve longed for—a rare sense of culinary sublimation in everyday life.

The wild sesbania flower cooked in sour soup with fish during the flood season is a true specialty. The sweet and sour taste of the soup, interwoven with the slight bitterness of the wild sesbania flowers, mirrors the myriad of emotions experienced by a Southwestern girl in the presence of her beloved – happiness, embarrassment, and the tender confusion of love:

“There’s a soup pot of sesbania bloom, 

Seasonal fish, okra, and scallion, 

You savor the golden flower ever, 

Too shy to call me by a darling word”

                “Sesbania flower”, Bui Chi Vinh

Pickled sesbania flowers speak a gentle, sweet language with a crunchy, sweet, and sour taste, devoid of bitterness. Paired with grilled fish and a bowl of chili sauce, even the king would forsake all delicacies for a taste of this exquisite combination:

“Pickled sesbania flowers, a delightful dish, 

With grilled fish, the king’s most fervent wish.”  (Folk song)

Since the late 2020s, some farmers in the Southwest have begun cultivating off-season sesbania. They use the Thai sesbania variety, which blooms year-round with only regular fertilization and watering. This initiative by farmers to increase their income is commendable, and I hope they receive support from both the government and the community.

The Vietnamese idiom “eating flavors and flowers” traditionally describes a refined way of savoring food for its taste, not for satiety. However, with Tonkin jasmine and sesbania flowers, this idiom can now be taken quite literally—eating flavors and flowers can indeed leave you both full and delighted! We can delight in the romance in the verses about these blossoms while enjoying the exquisite dishes made from them. Wishing you a flavor-full and flower-full day!

mlefood – Minh Lê