BlogHer - Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Cilantro - Comments

Will check

Kalyn Denny — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:30:07 -0500

There is a fairly good Indian market in Salt Lake so maybe I can find them there. If not, I'll look for them when I come to San Francisco!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

The Curry plant is tropical....

snigdhasen — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:37:15 -0500

...and native to the Indian subcontinent, and hence hard to find here.

But I believe it is available in some places. Here's a discussion about where to get a curry plant in this part of the world.

But if you want some curry leaves for cooking, you should be able to find them at the Indian store. I have noticed that in the Bay Area(California), they don't put curry leaves on display. You have to ask the store manager/cashier for a packet. I guess they are hard to find here so they don't want people picking them up randomly. Those interested will seek them out ;)

They run out of stock, too. Must be imported.

Sounds fantastic!

Kalyn Denny — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:14:52 -0500

I'm imagining right now how heavenly that would taste.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Another Cilantro (Coriander) Lover..

thekitchenenquirer — Mon, 26 May 2008 22:06:34 -0500

I'm a huge fan of Cilantro AKA Coriander here in Australia as OldDani pointed out. My dad who buys most of his meat from an Asian butcher in Sydney just started getting their pure pork mix which is basically just pork with no fat minced and when I was home for a visit last weekend he did the pork mince with finely chopped chilli and finely chopped coriander, turned them into little patties then fried it with a dash of sesame oil and they were amazing!

www.thekitchenenquirer.com.au

Herbs in pots are great!

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:13:06 -0500

Interesting, I didn't realize that growing the herb in a pot would keep it from going to seed as quickly. But I do agree that pots are a great way to grow herbs.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Any herb that goes to seed I

lilmommythatcould — Sun, 25 May 2008 11:01:35 -0500

Any herb that goes to seed I plant in smaller pots, It works great! Well I put all my herbs in pots on the deck- open door and snip easy!

First up the coleslaw looks great!

Cilantro is so multi-national

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 25 May 2008 08:14:06 -0500

I think that's one of the things that's so interesting about cilantro; it can be used in so many different cuisines. I love Thai food, but then I love any recipe that has cilantro!
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

I have been on a bit of an

potspoon — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:01:59 -0500

I have been on a bit of an asian frezny as well. I have always cooked with cilantro (the leaves and the seeds) being caribbean hispanic, but I am becoming a little obsessive with Thai food.

I adore cilantro!

eapgourmet — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:26:34 -0500

Cilantro is absolutely my favorite herb. I've been in an Asian-cooking phase lately, with a heavy focus on Vietnamese dishes, and I go through cilantro like crazy. I'll have to try freezing it (great suggestion!), as I haven't been able to successfully grow any at home and the markets don't always have the best selection.

~Erika Pitera

www.MyGourmetConnection.com - A Blog for Food Lovers

www.MyGourmetConnection.com/forums - Food Lovers' Forums

Thanks!

Kalyn Denny — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:50:32 -0500

I'm going to make tarragon vinegar this year for sure. Your recipes sound great. I want some fig, bacon, and feta salad right now.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Interesting

Kalyn Denny — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:49:00 -0500

I hadn't heard of freezing it before. Will have to try it.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

ran out of time to make vinegar but...

OldDani — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:12:32 -0500

here's a couple of ideas for using tarragon vinegar

http://www.thekitchenplayground.com/2008/oh-my-its-getting-chillylets-ma...

cabbage and apple salad with bue cheese and tarragon vinegar dressing

http://www.thekitchenplayground.com/2008/while-the-cat-is-away

fig bacon and feta salad...this one seriously rocks : )

http://www.thekitchenplayground.com/2008/holiday-day-five/

steak bernaise

http://www.abc.net.au/overnights/stories/s1260753.htm

and a basic but trusty tarragon vinegar recipe

Blogging at http://www.thekitchenplayground.com
"Farnham (n.) The feeling you get about four o'clock in the afternoon when you haven't got enough done." -The Meaning of Liff, Douglas Adams

Love, love, love this

Deaf Mom — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:07:38 -0500

Love, love, love this herb! I buy the frozen cubes from Trader Joes and use them in many recipes.

Karen "Life is too short to pout all the time."

A Deaf Mom Shares Her World

Hands & Voices

Isn't tarragon fantastic?

Kalyn Denny — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:47:55 -0500

When I finally planted it last year I vowed I'd never go without it in my garden again. I loved every dish I tried it in!

Do share some recipes!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Cilantro

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:48:34 -0500

I've been wildly enthusiastic about cooking with fresh herbs for so long that I can't really remember back to when I wasn't using them. Yet as much as I consider fresh herbs to be a kitchen necessity, I know plenty of people don't have much experience cooking with them. I thought it might be helpful to do a series of posts on BlogHer about cooking with fresh herbs, featuring a different herb every few weeks. I'm starting with cilantro, without a doubt the most controversial herb of them all.

Cilantro is actually the leaf of the plant that produces coriander seed, and it's called coriander leaf in many places. Other names for the plant are dhania and Chinese Parsley. It's an herb that's widely used in cuisines all over the world, including Mexico, Asia, India, and the Middle East. I've found cilantro to be rather difficult to grow in the garden, but in the United States it's fairly inexpensive to buy year-round at the grocery store.

Before I talk about how much I love cilantro, let me assure you that I realize that some people really do hate cilantro. So my first tip about cooking with cilantro is to be sure that none of the people you're cooking for are cilantro-adverse, which may be a genetic trait, according to Wikipedia. Don't think for a minute you'll be able to sneak in a little cilantro, since it's well documented that it has a somewhat soapy taste for people who have the anti-cilantro gene. I have a hard time understanding it, since cilantro is many people's favorite herb, but I've learned to ask if people like it before I plan it for a dinner party.

Helen from Beyond Salmon makes an interesting distinction between Soft Herbs and Hard Herbs which is worth a read if you're just venturing into cooking with fresh herbs. Helen puts cilantro into the category of soft herbs which should be added right at the end of cooking a dish, when it's being taken off the heat. I personally would go even farther and say cilantro is really at its best when it's chopped up and eaten raw.

Here are few recipes using cilantro that I think sounded interesting.

Cilantro in Sauce, Chutney, Pesto, or Dips
Dhania Chutney from 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian
Zhoug, Spicy Yemeni Sauce from Morsels and Musings
Cilantro Pesto from Talk of Tomatoes
Low-Fat Lime Cilantro Hummus from Urban Drivel
Onion, Cilantro, and Lime Juice Relish from For the Love of Cooking
Cucumber and Cilantro Dip from Fun and Food
Cilantro Aoioli from Laylita's Recipes
Pineapple Cilantro Salsa from 28 Cooks

Cilantro in Salads
Napa Cabbage Picnic Salad from Simply Recipes
Cilantro-Lime Broccoli Slaw from Gluten-Free Bay
Spicy Coleslaw with Lime and Cilantro from Homesick Texan
South of the Border Cous Cous from Albion Cooks
Thai Beef Tacos with Lime Cilantro Slaw from The Recipe Girl
Corn and Black Bean Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette from Good Things Catered

Cilantro with Chicken
Cilantro Chicken from Tasting Spoons
Broiled Butterflied Chicken with Cilantro Marinade from Kits Chow
Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce from Andrea's Recipes
Cilantro Chicken with Fresh Water Chestnuts and Baby Bok Choy from Tigers and Strawberries
Cilantro Citrus Chicken from Cafe Johnsonia

What's your take on Cilantro?
If you're a cilantro lover, you can find more cilantro recipes using Food Blog Search. If you're a cilantro hater, let me know what type of fresh herb you'd like to read about next.

(Edit - You can use the tag Cooking with Fresh Herbs to find all the herb posts in this series.)

BlogHer Food Editor Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen where she can never get too much cilantro. If you're a cilantro lover, Kalyn recommends Cilantro Salsa Dip, Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro, and Roasted Tilapia with Black Bean, Mango, Lime and Cilantro Salsa.

BlogHer - Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Cilantro - Comments

Will check

The Curry plant is tropical....

Sounds fantastic!

Another Cilantro (Coriander) Lover..

Herbs in pots are great!

Any herb that goes to seed I

Cilantro is so multi-national

I have been on a bit of an

I adore cilantro!

Thanks!

Interesting

ran out of time to make vinegar but...

Love, love, love this

Isn't tarragon fantastic?

More herb posts coming!

Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Cilantro