ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (02/01/85)
> My guacamole recipe includes one ingredient that I have not seen in any other > posting: > *** Coriander! *** > Use maybe a tablespoon or less? My dictionary reports that coriander is often > used in apple pie or sausage. It is an herb of the carrot family, according > to Webster's, and may be found on any kitchen or supermarket shelf. > bruce Dried coriander is not a substitute for fresh coriander: they taste completely different. Fresh coriander is hard to find, but a good substitute is some stuff called "Recaito" that comes in jars. Its main ingredient is -- you guessed it -- coriander! (plus onions, garlic, and seasonings) Some of our local supermarkets carry it, usually in the section with Spanish foods. Try some in guacamole, chili, hot sauce. A little goes a long way.
thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) (02/04/85)
In article <3360@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) writes: > >Dried coriander is not a substitute for fresh coriander: >they taste completely different. Fresh coriander is hard >to find, but a good substitute is some stuff called "Recaito" >that comes in jars. Coriander comes in two forms: seed and leaf. I have never seen dried leaf coriander. The leaf form is often called by other names, the most common being "cilantro" and "chinese parsley". At least here in the west, it is a commonly available item in the produce department. It has flat leaves with scalloped edges and smells a little lemony (some forms of cress look similar, but have a peppery taste). It is an essential ingredient in Mexican cooking, including guacamole and fresh salsa. Dried coriander seed is also heavily used in Mexican cooking, but has a very different taste. Grind it and put it in chili-type dishes. It is also found in many "curry" mixtures. -- =Spencer ({ihnp4,decvax}!utah-cs!thomas, thomas@utah-cs.ARPA) <<< "Ingvi is a louse!" >>>
gary@rochester.UUCP (Gary Cottrell) (02/06/85)
In article <1328@utah-gr.UUCP> thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) writes: > >Coriander comes in two forms: seed and leaf. I have never seen dried >leaf coriander. The leaf form is often called by other names, the most >common being "cilantro" and "chinese parsley". I have seen dried cilantro leaf sold. Fresh cilantro is also often used in real Indian cooking, which is not surprising since ground coriander is used so often. It definitely adds a unique taste. gary cottrell (allegra or seismo)!rochester!gary (UUCP) gary@rochester (ARPA)
andyb@dartvax.UUCP (Andy Behrens) (02/06/85)
In article <3360@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) writes: > > Fresh coriander is hard to find, but a good substitute is some stuff > called "Recaito" that comes in jars. Recaito is made from mountain coriander (Recao), a relative of coriander with a similar taste. It is indispensable to Puerto Rican cooking. You'll find it in your local Puerto Rican market, possible in the freezer. Andy Behrens {astrovax,decvax,cornell,ihnp4,linus}!dartvax!andyb.UUCP andyb@dartmouth.CSNET andyb%dartmouth@csnet-relay.ARPA RFD 1 Box 116, Union Village, Vt. 05043
reid@Glacier.ARPA (02/07/85)
The @i[Von Welanetz Guide to Ethnic Ingredients], by Diana and Paul von Welanetz, Houghton Mifflin, 1982, has a 4-page article about coriander. To avoid violating the copyright law, I shall not quote the whole article here, but let me quote enough to convince you that every fanatical cook would enjoy owning a copy of this excellent book. "CORIANDER. Often referred to as Cilantro. Known also as Chinese or Japanese Parsley. In Chinese known as "yuen sai", in Indian [Hindi, I presume?] as "dhania sabz", and in Thai as "pak chee". [the book lists 22 other languages, but most of the words are cognates of the Latin Coriandrum] Fresh coriander is an herb and coriander seeds are a spice. They differ greatly in flavor and use...In Asian cooking, all parts of this plant are used....this is an acquired taste; the uninitiated often remark that it tastes like hand soap.... Coriander seeds (actually a misnomer, as they are the fruit of the plant) taste nothing at all like fresh coriander, but have a delightful aroma, reminiscent of lemon and caraway. They are yellow-orange, almost round, and are available either whole or ground. If the seeds are fresh, they can be planted, watered daily, and will soon sprout fresh coriander." The article also lists about 30 ethnic dishes from 20 countries that use coriander leaves, roots, and seeds in various interesting ways. Also mentions that in "Indian" (Hindi?), Burmese, Malaysian, Arabic, and Thai there are entirely different words for coriander seeds than the words for coriander leaves. This wonderful 730-page book also has 10 pages of recommendations for ethnic cookbooks (not an exhaustive list, but personal recommendations), and 20 pages of listings of stores mail-order sources for these ingredients, including the only known mail-order source for dried fennel sticks and a lament that African ingredients like Efo, Shatta, and Berbere (the essential spice of Ethiopian cuisine) are not available by mail order in North America. This book has contained the answer to every ingredient question that I have seen asked on net.cooks in the 2 years I've been reading it, and it also mentions that if you are cooking a North African recipe and come across an instruction to use a cigarette tin full of cassava paste, that they are most likely talking about a Player's #3 Cigarette tin, which is much more common in North Africa than measuring cups, and that it equals approximately 1 cup. -- Brian Reid decwrl!glacier!reid Stanford reid@SU-Glacier.ARPA
hall@beta.DEC (Dan Hall) (06/28/85)
>>In article <139@aoa.UUCP> mbr@aoa.UUCP (Mark Rosenthal) writes: >>>Does anybody know of a source for cilantro (sp?) in the Boston area? >>>This is an herb with a unique and wonderfully pungent flavor. It was >>>readily available in the (other) bay area (i.e. SF), where it also >>>went under the name of "Chinese parsley". >Most supermarkets in "upscale" (yupscale?) neighborhoods around Boston >sell cilantro in their produce departments. For example, the Star in >Porter Square has the stuff. Also, most Latin American food stores >(such as those in Jamaica Plain) have it too. Any of the grocers in Boston's Chinatown will have coriander (as it is usually known around here). Ask if you don't see it. There is also a good (albeit a little more expensive) shop in Manchester, NH called Yee's Oriental Market. It's run by a married couple, he from Thailand and she from China, and they stock many kinds of Indian and Asian foods. It's at 123 Hanover St., off of Elm St. near Zayre's. For bulk spices, I always go to India Tea and Spice Co. on Common St. in Belmont, Mass. You'll go broke if you buy spices off the supermarket shelves. Buy whole spices and a good grinder. They'll keep indefinitly that way. Bon appetit! -- Dan Hall "I love coriander! I could eat coriander, coriander, coriander, coriander, coriander, baked beans and coriander! - Monty Python, sorta.
ark@alice.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) (07/01/85)
It's difficult to find fresh coriander around here, so I decided to grow some this year. In March, I started some seeds indoors in soil blocks under flourescent lamps. In mid-May, the seedlings were six inches high, and I moved them outdoors. In late May, I planted them. The plants are now four feet high and covered with white flowers. I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with so much coriander. Does anyone know what is going to happen next? Do the plants keep growing until frost? How tall do they get? Next year, I'm only going to plant one.