Cilantro

Cilantro is the leaves and tender stems of the coriander plant. It has a bright, citrusy, grassy taste and is used fresh in Mexican, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. The dried, round seeds of the same plant are the spice coriander, which tastes quite different: warm and lemony-floral.

How to use it

The names can be confusing:

• Cilantro in the US and Canada, from the Spanish name. Coriander in the US means the seeds.
• Coriander, fresh coriander or coriander leaves in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The seeds are called coriander seeds.
• Chinese parsley in some older American and Asian recipes.
• Dhania in India. Fresh leaves may be called hara dhania.
• Koriander in Sweden and Germany. A Swedish recipe saying "färsk koriander" means the leaves.

Unlike most herbs, the stems are tender and full of flavor. Chop them finely with the leaves. In Thai cooking the roots are pounded into curry pastes.

Cilantro's flavor fades with heat. Add it at the end, or scatter it as a garnish. It is part of many salsas, ceviche and green chutneys, and finishes many curries.

Substitutes

Nothing tastes the same. Flat-leaf parsley with a little lime zest gives the color and freshness. Thai basil or mint work in some Southeast Asian dishes.

How to store it

Trim the stems and stand the bunch in a glass with 2 to 3 cm of water. Cover loosely with a bag and keep it in the fridge. Change the water every couple of days. It lasts about a week this way.

Common mistakes

• Cooking it for a long time. It loses its taste and turns dull.
• Using ground coriander seed when a recipe from the UK or India says "coriander" and means the leaves. Check whether it says "chopped" or "ground".
• Chopping it wet. Dry it first or it bruises and turns dark.

In recipes

You will see "a handful of cilantro, chopped", "a small bunch of fresh coriander" and "chopped coriander, to garnish". Some people find cilantro tastes like soap. That is partly genetic. For them, parsley is the better choice.