Mint Leaves

The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many South Asian foods (particularly chutneys), in Chinese dishes and in Mexican salsas and guacamole. Alcoholic drinks sometimes feature mint for flavour or garnish, namely the Mint Julep and the Mojito. Crème de menthe is a mint-flavoured liqueur used in drinks such as the grasshopper. Chopped mint leaves are a garnish on cooked dishes such as dal and curries. As heat diminishes their flavour quickly, mint leaves are often used raw or added to the dish right before serving.  Mint leaves can be chopped and added to salads or washed and eaten plain. In Indian and Central Asian recipes, mint leaves are used in large amounts to make cool refreshing drinks like mintade or jaljeera. Mint leaves are used in few dishes like mint-coriander chutney, rasam, sambar, meat, fish, poultry items and biryanis.