Cilantro, the latest post in my summer garden series, is the classic topping for just about all Mexican food – tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, salads, quesadillas. They all seem to taste just a bit more vibrant with this herb sprinkled on.
Cilantro isn’t just found on Mexican food, though. It’s grown in Europe, North Africa, and Southwestern Asia, making a frequent appearance in a variety of cuisines. Though we call the leaves cilantro, the seed is actually coriander and this is the most common term for the plant.
- In Mexican dishes like salsa and guacamole, as well as a topping
- In Indian curries, and in foods like chutney and salads
- In Chinese foods
- In Russian (and other CIS) salads
- As a garnish for Indian dishes like dal
Growing Cilantro
- In short, cilantro hates the heat and will bolt quickly (this is frustrating when you want it for guacamole in the heat of the summer and it’s already been gone for a month!)
- It’s best to start growing it early – at the first sign of the end of frosts because (at least here in the South), it will be pretty much be done growing during the month of June
- You can grow it in the fall once it cools off again and it can keep growing if you sow the seeds and there is no frost
- If you’re growing it outside, like I am, try to keep it in only partial sun – some shade will keep it cooler and help prevent bolting.
- Don’t over-water cilantro – daily watering is not necessary
- I don’t know if it can be grown indoors – but I’m going to try this summer to see what happens!
Uses for Cilantro
- Guacamole (see my recipe below!)
- Salsa
- As a topping in my Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili
- As garnish in this Chicken Green Chili (pictured)
- As a breath freshener
- In Indian curries – I love it as a garnish for tikka masala
- Add it to your salads
- As an essential oil, cilantro can be used on the skin to fight inflammation
- In fresh juice and smoothies – cilantro has powerful antimocrobial benefits and is a detoxification superfood
Cilantro is one of those herbs that people either love or hate – and I LOVE it. I put on top of everything I can that I think it will taste good with, and find myself making things just to be able to use it. What are your experiences with using and growing cilantro?
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 medium tomato (or two small tomatos like Roma), seeded and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (more or less to taste)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 of an onion (or 1/2 if you want more onion flavor)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Mash ripe avocados in a mixing bowl (if the avocados aren't ripe enough, put them in the food processor to break them down)
- In a food processor, mince jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and garlic together with 1/2 the lime juice
- Stir onion mixture into the avocados
- Stir in the diced tomatos and the other 1/2 of lime juice
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips, or as a topping for tacos, a salad, or quesadilla
And if you missed the last post on uses for lemon thyme, you can find it here.