I wonder if anyone knows where I can buy seeds to grow my own herbs? I have checked some of the supermarkets here and cannot find any herbs seeds. It will be nice to have pots of fresh herbs, ready for the plucking.
I normally buy a few types of herbs and keep them in my fridge. It doesn’t matter if the herbs dried up in storage because they still smell as good. Some of the herbs I use in cooking are :
BASIL
Basil is good in pasta. You can slice the basil, add some dried chillies, olive oil, garlic to boiled pasta to make a nice aglio olio. Or you can buy two small bunches and pound them with some nuts (like pine or walnut) to make pesto sauce.
The rest of the photos here are taken from a poster I found in a restaurant. The poster is from Genting Garden. You can also find out the use of the different herbs in cooking on their website.
DILL and MAJORAM
I like dill because the fine green leaves look like Chinese fatt choy. Moreover, it is beautiful when used to garnish foods. You can chopped up majoram and use it in your omelette.
THYME
Thyme and Sage are two hardier herbs, the leaves being rough and hard. They have stronger smell, just like rosemary. So, I use them in seasoning chicken or lamb for roasting. They also imparts a nice flavour in stews as well.
SAGE
Sage leaves has a rough texture and usually, I cook them whole or tear them roughly (instead of cutting it finely).
ROSEMARY
I also like rosemary and it is lovely with some lemon and butter seasoning, use in roasting chicken or lamb. Rosemary and garlic make lovely pairing. I also have a packet of rosemary tea with licorice bark. It makes a calming herbal tea.
All these herbs are rather expensive but I find them indispensable in preparing Western dishes. So, I normally stock about three types at one go. I store them in my chiller, purposely allowing them to slowly dry up. These dried up herbs still taste better than those bottled, dried herbs found on the supermarket shelves. The smell is milder and nicer.