Coriander Botanical Name: Coriander sativum (Apiaceae)
General Description/History: - Bright green leaf is finely scalloped and broad - Pungent, distinct scent and flavour - Round branching stem which is pale green and finely grooved. Choose coriander with fresh, green leaves with healthy stems and a pungent aroma. Add fresh leaves to curries and Thai dishes, stews, salads, sauces and use as a garnish. Coriander grows best in a dry atmosphere, and a good dry summer is required if a reasonable crop is to be obtained. Coriander is an annual crop which grows to 60cm in height. Cultivated as a medicinal and culinary herb for at least 3000 years, coriander is mentioned in Sanskrit texts, on Egyptian papyri, in “Tales of the Arabian Nights” and in the Bible. Coriander was bought to Northern Europe by the Romans, who, combining it with cumin and vinegar, rubbed it into meat as a preservative. The Chinese once believed it conferred immortality, and in the Middle Ages it was put into love potions as an aphrodisiac. In Indian cooking, the seed is roasted before being ground for use.
Alternative Names: Chinese: Uen sai English: coriander or cilantro Thai: pak chee
Varieties: Please click pictures to see seasonality
Long Coriander
Growing Areas: QLD - Atherton, Brisbane Outer Suburbs, Bundaberg NSW - North Coast VIC - Melbourne, Werribee SA - Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains, South East WA - Perth Metropolitan Outer Areas NT - Katherine.
Nutritional Value: A good source of vitamin C.
Storage/Handling: 0°C and 90 -100% relative humidity. Keep covered and away from refrigeration fans. Consumer Storage: Store in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper.
Recipes: Vegetable Samosa - Baked Baked Potatoes with Mexican-style Beans Spicy Sweet Potato & Coconut Soup Middle Eastern Yogurt Lamb with Pumpkin Couscous Open Sandwich Chicken Curry with Mushrooms and Cauliflower Fragrant Pumpkin Soup Savoury Vegetable Cake Tasty Baked Vegetable Burgers Citrus Salad with Scallops Pumpkin Curry Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup with Yogurt Drizzle Steamed Fish with Ginger and Spring Onion Chicken and Vegetable Laksa Thai Stuffed Omelette Beef Larb Chilli Prawn Avocado Antipasto Coriander and Lime Salsa with grilled Fish Corn on the Cob Grilled Spicy Buttered Corn Baked Spuds with Avocado Salsa Topper