Name of the core ingredient: Polyscias fruticosa
Botanical name: Polyscias fruticosa
Other name in English: Ming Aralia, Panax Fruticosum, Panax Fruticosus
Name in Vietnamese: Đinh lăng, Cây gi cá, Nam Dương sâm

The Ming aralia is widely cultivated in several countries of Southeast Asia and the tropical islands of the Pacific region. It was originally located in Polynesia and thrives in environments of medium humidity, with temperatures varying from 16–29 °C (60– 85 °F).

Traditional Usage

The Ming aralia grows everywhere in Vietnam, the people can plant into the flowerpot and use it as a bonsai, a medical plant. Because in daily life, leaves are used as raw vegetables or can be eaten in a fish salad.

According to traditional medicine, tree roots have a sweet, slightly bitter taste, coolness, have a vascular clear effect, nourish blood; clove leaves have a bitter taste, coolness has the effect of detoxifying food, fighting allergies, treating coughing up blood, dysentery. All cloves including roots, stems, and leaves can be used as medicines.

Health benefits:

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong and her colleagues at the Center for Ginseng and Medicinal Materials in Ho Chi Minh City also spent a lot of time and enthusiasm to study the effects of clove for 7 years (2000-2007). Dr. Huong’s research has shown that clove has the same pharmacological effects as ginseng but is cheaper and easier to grow than ginseng. Specifically, according to the author’s research, the tree has the effect of increasing physical strength, combating stress, stimulating brain activities, relieving anxiety, fatigue, antioxidant, protecting the liver, stimulating immunity.

Leaves can be crushed and placed on wounds to prevent swelling and inflammation. The roots can be boiled and drunk to stimulate urination, soothe nerves, relieve joint pain and inhale to stimulate sweating.

The tincture extract of the clove tree has anti- asthma, anti-histamine, and mast cellsuppressant properties making it useful in treating asthma.

Dragging the trident helps significantly increase memory function as well as the survival time of old mice.

Ingredients:

For fresh spring rolls:

10 pcs Rice paper
200 gr Lettuce
300 gr Shrimp
150 gr Cucumber 200 gr Rice noodles 100 gr Mint
100 gr Coriander
30 gr Scallions 100 gr Thai Basil 200 gr Carrot
200 gr Purple Cabbage
200 gr Polyscias Fruticosa leaf

For Peanut butter dipping sauce:

200 gr Hoisin Sauce 100 gr Peanut Butter 30 gr Rice vinegar 30 gr Sugar
20 gr Soya Sauce 20 gr Siracha Sauce 20 gr Warm water
10 gr Chili (Chopped)
10 gr Garlic (Chopped)

For Plating:

Fresh spring rolls Peanut butter dipping Edible flowers Chopped chilies

Instructions:

1. Washed and drained all vegetable
2. Cut the cucumber and carrots into thin pieces about 5cm long.
3. Cut lettuce and purple cabbage into chiffonade and keep in the tray
4. Just use mint leaves, coriander leaves, Polyscias Fruticosa leaf, Thai basil leaves.
5. Chopped red chili and garlic.
6. Boiled shrimp with a little salt, scallion, coriander root about 8-10 minutes. After the shrimp is cooked take out and soaked soaking in ice water then drained.
7. Peeled the shell, remove black string on the shrimp back and sliced in half.
8. Boil the rice noodles, then rinse with cold water to prevent cooking process go further
9. Soak rice paper wrapper wet and put vegetables in turns, which were prepared and put rice noodles in the center. Finally the sliced shrimp and roll it into a pretty, long fresh spring roll.
10. To make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, sugar, sesame oil, chili and garlic. Add in 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed to create a super creamy but dip-able sauce.
11. Fresh Spring rolls served with peanut butter dipping sauce.

*Tips

• Use scallion and root of coriander when boiled seafood to decrease the fishy smell.
• According to Pho Huu Duc (Chairman of the Eastern Medicine Association of Cau Giay District, Hanoi), the root of the clove contains lots of saponins, that can break the red blood cells. Therefore, use only when necessary and use the right dose, the right way. Do not use clove root with a high dose because it will cause drunkenness, feeling of tiredness, nausea, diarrhea.