ShareThisTo all those who find cilantro soapy, please return next week.
I am not being mean, folks. Apparently, there is a scientific reason as to why people hate cilantro: genetics. Who am I to fight scientifically proven dislikes? But if you love cilantro, read on -- there is so much to learn.
I grew up cooking with and eating cilantro -- the seed is called coriander and the herb is called cilantro. It is a much-loved herb in my repertoire. Michael Ruhlman, author of several cookbooks including the much-acclaimed "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking," shares my passion for cilantro: "I love it, I think because of the refreshing citrusy notes it brings. There is no other seasoning like it. In fact, let your cilantro plants go to seed and use the fresh green seeds it will produce!"
Fellow writer Don Lesser told me that he often described cilantro as "mint that took a sharp turn in a really different direction."
Ruhlman and I agree that coriander works great on just about everything, especially grilled meats, and in sauces and vinaigrettes. He loves it with red meat, tomato-based sauces and barbecue sauces. The herb and the seed cannot be substituted for one another. The best way to use the seed is to dry-roast it in a hot pan and then crush or grind it and add it to your dishes. The herb is best added as a garnish at the end of the cooking process. Of course, it can be used during the cooking process for fantastic chutneys, pestos and gently simmered sauces.
While I am most familiar with the use of cilantro in Indian, Thai and Mexican cuisines, I learned from David Leite, editor of "Leite's Culinaria," about its use in Portuguese cuisine. Leite, author of the lovely "The New Portuguese Table," says he finds the fresh, grassy taste of cilantro irresistible. Cilantro is a staple of Portuguese cooking, which is what he grew up eating. The herb is indigenous to Southern Europe and the Middle East. In fact, it's often called Arab parsley or Chinese parsley in French cooking.
Ruhlman recommends buying coriander seeds in small quantities and storing them in an airtight container. For the herb, it is really easy to grow it in your yard. But if you are going to buy it, Leite suggests buying it with its roots still attached. "At home, I rinse the herb in plenty of cold water -- it can be tremendously gritty -- changing the water often. I then wrap the bunch in damp paper towels and tuck the whole log into a resealable plastic bag." This way it will keep well for about a week.
EGGS ON POTATO CHIPS (WAFER PAR IDA)
Recipe adapted from "My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking" by Niloufer Ichaporia King.
1 tablespoon ghee, clarified butter, or mixture of vegetable oil and butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (optional)
2 to 3 hot green chilies, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
4 good handfuls of plain potato chips from a just-opened bag (I used Lay's)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon water (about)
Heat the ghee over medium heat in a sturdy medium skillet, preferably cast iron. Add the onion and let it soften, stirring occasionally, a few minutes. Before it browns, add the ginger if you like and the green chilies, and as soon as the mixture looks cooked, add the fresh coriander. Crumble in the potato chips, tossing the contents of the pan to combine them thoroughly. Make nests in the surface of the mixture -- they won't be perfect hollows -- and crack an egg into each. Pour a tablespoon or so of water around the edges of the pan to generate some steam, cover the skillet tightly and let the eggs cook just long enough to set the whites without turning the chips soggy.
Turn out onto plates.
Serves 2 to 4.
(Contact Monica Bhide at monica(at)monicabhide.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
Monica Bhide on Seasonings
