What Else Can I Make with Cilantro? 9 Mexican Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What do Mexicans use cilantro for? ›

Add it to your rice, salads, stir-fries, stews, soups, and of course, your favorite Mexican dish. Cilantro can provide a zesty citrus flair that pairs well with any dish that has a kick to it.

Add to stir-fries, salsa, guacamole, fajitas and curries.

The word cilantro is Spanish for coriander and it's what we call the leaves and plant in the Americas. In Mexico we call the seeds “semillas de cilantro”, but other countries on this side of the world referred to them as coriander seeds.

While cilantro is extremely popular in traditional Mexican food, its roots come from the Middle East. Cilantro was introduced to Mexico by the Spanish in the 1500s, along with many other ingredients that we now consider essential to traditional Mexican food, including cattle, pigs, chickens, rice, wheat, and cinnamon.

It is commonly used in Latin American and Asian dishes and is sometimes referred to as 'Mexican parsley' or 'Chinese parsley. ' Although the entire plant is edible, the leaves and seeds are most frequently used. 'Cilantro' typically refers to the leaves of the plant, which are often used fresh or dried.

Pat dry the cilantro with paper towels, no need to wash it. Loosely keep the cilantro in an airtight container or a herb storage container with a raw egg. The porous shell of the egg helps absorb excess moisture keeping the cilantro fresh for 4 to 6 weeks.

Cilantro is one of the most flavorful herbs, and it complements everything from chicken to beans to berries!

Freezing cilantro is a great way to preserve the often abundant harvest one can get from this biennial herb. Its unique flavor survives some time in the cold quite nicely, as opposed to drying which robs the herb of its signature flavor.

Bleeding: Cilantro can slow down or inhibit blood clotting. Overconsumption can therefore cause bleeding in people who have bleeding tendencies or clotting disorders. Taste: While not a side effect, people who carry the gene OR6A2 may dislike cilantro because it tastes like soap to them.

The cilantro plant contains dodecenal, an antimicrobial compound that may help protect your body against infections and illnesses caused by tainted food. The compound is effective against Salmonella, a microbe that can cause life-threatening food poisoning.

How do you preserve cilantro for later use? ›

As soon as the cilantro has wilted, immediately transfer it to the ice water. This eliminates the residual heat that would otherwise continue to cook it. Pat the blanched cilantro dry. Strip the leaves off the stems and transfer to freezer bags and freeze.

It gets more interesting when you look at ethnic groups. People of European descent are the most likely to think cilantro tastes soapy when compared to African Americans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, and East and South Asians. Not surprisingly, of all those groups, Latinos are the least likely to dislike cilantro.

Cilantro Substitute in Guacamole

To deliver the same results sans cilantro, use a combination of cumin, parsley, coriander, and lime. Cumin offers a more savory flavor, and parsley gives the guacamole the earthiness of cilantro, while coriander and lime give off a lively, citrus flavor.

In small quantities, cilantro is perfectly safe to share with your dog. When feeding cilantro to your dog, you'll want to only use the leaves and avoid the stems. “The stems are difficult to digest and may lead to gastrointestinal issues in some dogs when eaten,” explains Dr. Klein.

Perhaps no other herb defines Mexican cuisine better than cilantro, otherwise known as fresh coriander, and Chinese or Mexican parsley. Indeed, no self-respecting Mexican salsa is complete without a touch of chopped cilantro. Neither is a Vietnamese spring roll, a Moroccan stew, nor a bowl of Thai noodle soup.

The word “cilantro” is the Spanish name for coriander leaves. Meanwhile, the dried seeds of the plant are called coriander. Internationally, it's a different story. Coriander is the name for the leaves and stalks of the plant, while the dried seeds are called coriander seeds.

Before moving to Mexico City three years ago, I had never eaten cilantro or Cebollas (onion). If they were on my plate, I would quickly throw them aside, unaware of the richness of flavor I was losing. However, in Mexico, cilantro and Cebollas are important ingredients. They are everywhere.