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cilantro

chilehunter

chilehunter

I've had a question for some time but always forget to ask this & now I remember to ask it.
when it comes to using cilantro in meals do you just chop the leaves & stalk up, or do you pick just the leaves off & chop those ?
I've always did the pick the leaves off but its kinda a PITA & wonder what others do, plus do the stalks give a different flavor ?
 
I use the hell out of cilantro, my wifes favorite, always a bunch in the frig. I don't use all the stem but cut off what I need off of a bunch down to the bare stems tied together, never clean it from the little stems and it's perfectly fine. I grew some cilantro last year but it's so cheap in the market and it always went to seed won't do that again.
 
yes its cheap. on a side note I find it funny how much they charge for chives for how easily & fast they regrow after a cutting IMO they over charge for chives at stores.
 
I always buy fresh cilantro and have some in the fridge, I considered growing it but as mentioned .50 cents gets a lot of cilantro.

For cooking things like meats, stir fries, salads I just use the leaves but if I am making a stew or a soup I chop up the stock as well. Sometimes I will use the leaves then take the long stocks and bundle them together and stuff it into the belly of a salmon/trout or lay the stocks on a roast, then discard them after cooking. At times I have chewed the stock to freshen my breath.

But for chives, I would recommend growing them, they will perennial in Minnesota and you will have years of fresh chives. They have a pretty purple flower but what you have to watch for when eating later on, is that the stem with the flower will turn into a very hard stock that will be too hard to chew, unless you have teeth like a horse. I have several patches of chives and by early May am clipping fresh young sprouts. That and preseeded spinach are one of the first to sprout in spring.

Cilantro is suppose to help remove metal tonins from your system and if you eat a lot of fish it maybe wise to consume it occasionally, this could help eliminate things like mercury.
 
:party: I use cilantro and other fresh herbs on a daily basis. While cilantro stems are not thick and woody like rosemary, the texture can be unappealling. I dont suggest not using them. :stop:
 
In our stores, cilantro is sold in bunches like parsley. If you only need part of the bunch, just cut (1/4-1/2-whatever) of the bunch right above the twist-tie or rubberband that holds the bunch together. Rinse it in a bowl of water,
pick out any bad bits including looking for any stray grass or weeds that may have gotten picked with the cilantro,
rinse out of the water,
drain,
chop.


If you need a lot, I cut the bunch right above the twist-tie/band, rinse in a large bowl, drain, rinse again, drain, chop.

Sometimes, the cilantro in our stores can be really muddy. Plopping the whole lot in a large bowl of water and swishing around a bit allows the dirt to settle. Sometimes those batches need 2 or 3 rinses to get rid of all the dirt.

After that, chop up stems and all!

[Sometimes, the cilantro does have some stems that have gone to seed, and in that case I discard them. Usually the stems are more tender than parsley, but when going to seed, they get more fibrous.]

LOVE cilantro!




Cooking Secret- how to dry greens and keep them fresh-
trim, chop, rinse and drain greens
lay out on a clean towel (dish towel for a small amount, bath towel for a large amount)
Roll up towel

You can then put the towel in a plastic bag (but don't seal bag tight! just fold it over) and put it in the refer. It will stay fresh and not get brown for 2-3 days! It's a great way to prep salad ahead and keep it from getting brown.

If you want to use the salad/greens right away, just set the rolled up towel to the side and rotate it a couple times for the water to drain out to the towel.

hope it helps-
 
chilehunter said:
I've had a question for some time but always forget to ask this & now I remember to ask it.
when it comes to using cilantro in meals do you just chop the leaves & stalk up, or do you pick just the leaves off & chop those ?
I've always did the pick the leaves off but its kinda a PITA & wonder what others do, plus do the stalks give a different flavor ?
Click to expand...

We use leaves for garnishing and making chutney paste out of them.


I also use tender stalk along with leaves.It does not have different flavor but has stronger flavor than leaves.

Cilantro is also used in green salads in India .
 
Burning Colon said:
But for chives, I would recommend growing them, they will perennial in Minnesota and you will have years of fresh chives. They have a pretty purple flower but what you have to watch for when eating later on, is that the stem with the flower will turn into a very hard stock that will be too hard to chew, unless you have teeth like a horse. I have several patches of chives and by early May am clipping fresh young sprouts. That and preseeded spinach are one of the first to sprout in spring.
Click to expand...


I do have several onion chives growing couple of the groups are basketball size round plus I still find rouge onion chives growing elsewhere around the house. garlic chives is another story cuz it seems like they're not as hardy of a plant for here compared to the onion version (they die or dont grow as good)



thanks to all for how, what part, & when you use parts of cilantro. I was curious as to what others do when it comes to cilantro.
 
Now this is interesting.

I love Coriander, and can eat Cilantro in Curries as long as the pieces are small. Other than that, I cannot stomach the taste of it. The taste makes me literally want to gag. I asked my Doctor about it and he said that a very small portion of the population is allergic to it, and has the same reaction as I do. I am a HUGE lover of Curries and my local Curry house knows me so well now, that they tend to leave the Cilantro garnish off and if the meal item is fresh, they leave it out.

In my own cooking I substitute Parsley for Cilantro. I know, don't say it... I know it is not the same. However for the few like me who cannot eat it. I love my Parsley in my Curries :dance:
 
Coriander, as we call it here, a wonderful herb usually found prominent in Asian. My favourite herb.

You must understand the same thing with herbs as peppers. Sorta. How they branch out, at the roots of herbs they are highly pungent, frequently wasted. Great for curries, braises, stocks, anything really. Just keep in mind they are very flavoursome. As you move up the stem you gradually lose the richness of the flavours, and the leaves, best for garnish but they have a very nice flavour and not a great deal of richness, very light on the palette. Great addition to any oily or creamy foods.

There is nothing that cilantro is not good for :)
 
good thread CH...been wondering this myself...

I have found out something about cilantro too...some/most may already know it but I just found out last year...

When making fresh salsa or pico de gallo (not for canning), do not put cilantro in the salsa or pico...put a little on as it is served...reason?...to me it seems that my salsa/pico spoils/ruins more quickly when it is added...within 2-3 days the cilantro gets slimey...but my salsa/pico stays fresh for 6-7 days without the cilantro added...
 
I used to HATE Cilantro, but over a period of several years, I have grown to like it. I now chop it up like any other herb,
using mostly the leafy portion with the smaller stems chopped up too. I find that dried cilantro or cooked cilantro is way less objectionable to the unacclimated palate.
 
Here's what I do with cilantro: I don't use it :) I just read an article about how some people are predisposed by DNA to not like it.

I have only had one dish that I liked, spicy molasses black bacon beans and cilantro, that I loved it in. The peppers must have blocked the cilantro stank receptors in my brain.
 
If you want to cook authentic texican rio grande fajita's or mezcan fish taco's, cilantro is mandatory. My mezcan cunados dig it. So do I. Echelle chingaso!
 
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