Coriander
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is one of the most popular culinary herbs used today. We love growing and offering it for our home delivery fruit and vegetable customers – it helps prove our freshness and its aroma is a wonderful surprise as they open their home delivered fruit and vegetable box. It has a pungent, citrus flavour to the leaves that some people adore and others detest. In fact, its name is actually derived from the Greek word for bug as they thought that is smelt like one that had been squashed!
Coriander is thought to have originated in southern Europe but has naturalised across northern Africa, the Middle East and south western Asia making it hard to define exactly where this plant is wild and where it only recently established itself. It was used by the Egyptians - half a litre of coriander mericarps were recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Since coriander does not grow wild in Egypt, it has been interpreted that this find is proof that coriander was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians.
Cilantro is the Spanish word for coriander, also deriving from coriandrum. It is the common term in North America for coriander leaves, due to their extensive use in Mexican cuisine. Coriander was brought to the British colonies in North America in 1670, and was one of the first spices cultivated by early settlers.
Coriander grows well in the shoulder seasons of Spring and Autumn. It does not like the summer heat and this is one of the main reasons it is quick to bolt (goes to seed) in the warmer months. Most people have great difficulties growing coriander as it usually bolts very quickly on them. One of the secrets of achieving a beautiful and continuous lush crop of coriander is to grow it directly from seed in situ. This is not too difficult and is a very fast and inexpensive process. I certainly don’t recommend planting it as a seedling as it also does not like a sudden change in growing conditions and is usually propagated in a potting mix with frequent watering (as the seedling specialists do) which limits its nutrition and subsequent growth before it bolts.
On the Paradise Fresh farm we have great success in growing coriander in spring and autumn. We don’t even attempt it in summer as it bolts too quickly and in winter its growth is too slow for us to justify growing it. We are trialling some new methods of growing coriander which will hopefully allow us to grow it year round. It loves growing in the hydroponic system and grows a profuse root system which is ideal for our home delivery fruit and vegetable customers as it can stay fresher longer and has a wonderful set of roots which have a stronger flavour for cooking with.
All parts of the coriander are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many Indian foods (such as chutneys and salads), in Chinese and Thai dishes, in Mexican cooking, particularly in salsa and guacamole and as a garnish, and in salads in Russia. As heat diminishes their flavour, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish immediately before serving. In Indian and Central Asian recipes, coriander leaves are used in large amounts and cooked until the flavour diminishes. Coriander roots have a deeper, more intense flavour than the leaves. They are used in a variety of Asian cuisines. They are commonly used in Thai dishes, including soups and curry pastes.
Coriander like many spices, contain antioxidants, which can delay or prevent the spoilage of food seasoned with this spice. A study found both the leaves and seed to contain antioxidants, but the leaves were found to have a stronger effect. Chemicals derived from coriander leaves were found to have antibacterial activity against Salmonella cholaraesius, and this activity was found to be caused in part by these chemicals acting as non-ionic surfactants
Coriander seeds are used in traditional Indian medicine as a diuretic by boiling equal amounts of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, then cooling and consuming the resulting liquid. In holistic and traditional medicine, it is used as a carminative and as a digestive aid.
Coriander has been documented as a traditional treatment for type 2 diabetes. A study on mice found coriander extract had both insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity
A minority of people find the taste and smell reminiscent of soap, and thus fined it offensive. The reason is likely genetic (genetics of the people and not coriander), with some people having no response to the aromatic chemical that most find pleasant, while simultaneously being sensitive to certain offending unsaturated aldehydes.
Coriander Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (45g) toasted cashew nuts
- 1/3 cup (35g) finely grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup (125ml) light olive or peanut oil, plus extra
Place the coriander, garlic, cashew nuts and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. (Alternatively, place ingredients in a mortar and pound with a pestle until well combined).
With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream until well combined and a smooth paste forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to an airtight container and pour over a little extra oil to cover the pesto surface (this will prevent the coriander from oxidising and turning black).
Coriander Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 bunches coriander, washed, dried, leaves and stems chopped
- 2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 4 fresh red birds eye chillies, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
- 2 tbs fresh lemon juice, or to taste
- Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
Process
Place the coriander, tomatoes, onion, chillies, garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt or pepper, if necessary
Farmer Brendon
Paradise Fresh
Paradise Fresh Armidale delivers quality fruit and vegetables to the customers door. We service Armidale and Uralla 5 days a week. We also service cafes restaurants, pubs clubs and schools with wholesale fruit and vegetables
Paradise Fresh are a premium quality home delivered fruit and vegetable franchise business with all orders placed through their website www.paradisefresh.com.au Paradise Fresh have plenty of business opportunities throughout eastern Australia both in the capital cities and regional areas such as Toowoomba, Canberra, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Bathurst, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and many other areas.