(Coriander Leaves, Dhaniya, Malli Illai, Chinese Parsley)
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About Cilantro
Cilantro leaves or coriander leaves or “dhaniya patta” in Hindi or kothamalli in Tamil is a widely used herb in the world cuisine. It is an essential ingredient Indian kitchens. No dish is complete, be it south Indian or north Indian, vegetarian or non vegetarian, without the addition of coriander leaves. In most of the Indian dishes, coriander leaves are used for garnishing purpose and in many other dishes, it is used as a main ingredient. Coriander leaves are green, aromatic, tender and full of flavor and hence its addition brings about a distinctive flavor to any dish. In addition to all of these qualities, it is also inexpensive and easily available herb all around the year.
Apart from the aroma and taste, coriander leaves also has abundant nutrition benefits. Coriander leaves are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, manganese, magnesium and iron. Apart from these vitamins and minerals, they are rich in dietary fiber and hence it promotes good digestive health. The leaves also lower the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol. The coriander leaves also contains anti inflammatory properties and hence it is good against inflammatory diseases like arthritis.
Cilantro Selecting Tips
One can easily grow coriander leaves in their kitchen garden and can add fresh organic leaves everyday in their cuisine. But for those who cannot grow, you can buy some fresh coriander leaves using the following tips:
- Sniff the leaves for its aroma. Fresh leaves smell great and stays on for some time.
- Look for a bunch with un-wilted leaves in medium green.
Cilantro Storage Tips
- Remove the leaves from the stem.
- Storing in a Tupperware box enables to stay fresh up to 1 week when kept in refrigerator.
- Alternatively, the leaves along with the stem can be washed and can be kept in a jar of water. The water needs to be changed once in 2-3 days. This way, the leaves stay fresh up to a week.
Using the coriander leaves as the basic ingredient, I have tried some tasty and easy recipes which is well appreciated and extremely liked by family and friends. It’s my pleasure to share all of it with all the readers. Do try it and reap large benefits with this amazing herb. Cheers!!
Recipes With Cilantro