In this country, there seems to be no half measures when buying fresh herbs. You either get a generous bunch of greenery, the size of a gorilla's forearm, or one of those measly, meagre plastic envelopes from a supermarket filled with a few strands of herbs that are as likely to turn to mush as soon as you turn your back.
Of course, ideally you'd grow your own herbs. But not all of us can do that, whether through a lack of green fingers, time or space. (I would suggest that if you do decide to buy herb plants, buy those sold in garden centres, rather than supermarkets, as they tend to be more robust, last longer and cost about the same.)
But if you are buying by the bunch then plunge it straight into a jug with enough water to cover the cut stems - that will extend its life for a few days. If you can buy coriander with its roots on, then all the better. Not only will the coriander stay fresher for longer, but there is a lot of peppery herb flavour in the roots, which are often an essential ingredient in aromatic spice pastes in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. If you buy a small sachet of herbs, then remove them from the plastic packaging and lay between layers of paper kitchen towel. It is not a perfect solution, but you may get an extra day's use out of your herbs. I don't put my herbs in the fridge as I find that they deteriorate faster - but my house tends to be fairly cool (draughty!) so if yours is warmer perhaps the fridge is a good option.
But if I regard the fridge as the green herb's enemy, then the freezer is its nemesis. If you freeze coriander, even if it is finely chopped, the chances are that once it has defrosted you will be left with a puddle of green slime. (Frankly, there are not many times I want to be starring in a 1960s sci-fi horror movie!) I find this goes for most green herbs, apart from woody herbs such as lavender, rosemary and thyme. Lemongrass also doesn't seem to come to too much harm if in the freezer for a short time.
My three favourite options for coriander:
Option 1: The first is "zhug," "zhoug" or "skhug," a Yemeni-Israeli spicy sauce used as an accompaniment for falafel. I haven't been able to come across a definitive recipe, so after playing around with the ingredients and seeking inspiration from food writers such as Claudia Roden, I have come up with this version. (By the way, for pronunciation of the world "zhug" you really need to hear someone of Middle Eastern origin pronounce it. It starts off sounding a bit like "skug" but with a bit of added throat-clearing!)
Option 2: My second suggestion is a Georgian coriander-walnut sauce (Kindzis Satsebela), to which a friend of mine from Tbilisi pointed me towards. (That would be Georgia in the Caucasus rather than the southern U.S. state.) This sauce is both slightly sweet (from the dried apricots), a little peppery and fragrant with herbs. It works beautifully as a marinade as well as an accompaniment to fish and roast or grilled meat such as lamb. (Actually, it is rather good with roasted summer vegetables too.)
Option 3: My third suggestion is something that came about when I was doing a bit of housekeeping, checking the contents of both my fridge and freezer. I put together a Vietnamese inspired pork and coriander meatball noodle soup. A fragrant broth, infused with ginger and lemongrass, with herby meatballs.
Green Zhug
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
seeds of 4-5 cardamom pods
3 medium green chillies
2 red chillies (bird's eye if you like it hot)
3 garlic cloves
a large bunch of coriander
100 ml olive oil
fresh lemon or lime juice, to taste
salt
First make the zhug by carefully chopping the chillies. You can de-seed them but I don't usually bother. (I wear gloves because I am allergic to them; sometimes wearing a Haz Mat bunny suit and goggles. You never know - it could be the next fashion trend in my part of north London!)
In a small frying pan, lightly toast the spices over a medium heat. I tend to bash them with a pestle and mortar before adding to a food processor.
Add the garlic, coriander and half the olive oil. Blitz. Taste and add more olive oil if necessary.
Add the lemon or lime juice and more salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.
Tips:
Stores well in the fridge in a sterilised jar.
Fabulous stirred into soups and stews or dolloped on grilled meats and fish.
Zhug is an essential accompaniment to falafel and Middle Eastern spiced roast lamb.
The last time I made it was for a New Year's Eve party. I know people can probably take a lot of heat when they are boozed up, but I had put far too much chilli in it. Problem solved by stirring the zhug into a blend of cream cheese and natural yoghurt. It definitely helped the party go with a bang (from what I can remember!)
Georgian Coriander-Walnut Sauce (Kindzis Satsebela)
(adapted from The Georgian Feast by Darra Goldstein - University of California Press 1999)
50g dried apricots
250ml boiling water
30g shelled walnuts
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of cayenne
a large bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2 tbsp roughly chopped herbs (including a mixture of either or all basil, dill and parsley)
5 tablespoons walnut oil
reserved apricot soaking liquid
Pour the boiling water over the dried apricots and set aside to plump up for at least 1 hour. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
Whizz up the garlic in a blender until beginning to form a paste. (You will need to scrape down the sides of the blender jug.)
Add the walnuts and continue to blend until well combined with the garlic.
Add drained apricots, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne. Blend to a paste.
Add the coriander and other herbs, continue to blend until it reaches a consistency you like. (I prefer mine still a little rough.)
Add the walnut oil and a little of the soaking liquid, depending on how runny you want the sauce. Give it another whizz up in the blender.
Set aside for an hour to allow the flavours to develop. Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.
Vietnamese inspired pork and coriander meatball noodle soup
250g pork mince
1 egg, beaten
2 spring onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1-2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp fish sauce
vegetable oil
2 slices fresh ginger
1.25 litres chicken stock
1 stick of lemongrass
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 star anise
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
300-400g dried noodles
1 birds eye chilli, finely sliced (to serve)
2 tbsp soy sauce
Blend garlic, spring onions, fish sauce and coriander to a paste. Tip into bowl with beaten egg and pork mince. Scrunch up until well mixed.
I don't bother adding extra seasoning, but you may want to check the flavour. A quick way to do this is to heat a small frying pan over a high heat. Break off some of the pork mix and form a small patty. Quickly fry until cooked through. Taste. You can adjust seasoning before forming the meatballs.
Form the meatballs - best way to do this is with wet hands - meatballs are easier to roll.
Either quickly fry meatballs for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or bake in oven on 180C / Gas Mark 4 for about 10 minutes until partially cooked through.
Add stock, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, spring onions, sugar, salt, lime juice, fish sauce and star anise. Simmer for 30 minutes flavours to infuse. Strain broth of aromatics. Taste for seasoning and balance.
Add meatballs. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Cook noodles according to instructions. Drain. Refresh under cold water. Drain then tip into bowls and ladle over soup and meatballs.
Serve with fresh coriander, chilli and soy sauce.
And more ideas for using fresh coriander:
4. Why not try Felicity Cloake's perfect Thai green curry?
5. Nigel Slater's haricot beans with tomato, coriander and coconut milk is fragrant with curry spices and quite simply delicious.
6. Or Nigel Slater's simple yoghurt and coriander dipping sauce which is a perfect accompaniment to anything from roast lamb or chicken to burgers or spiced vegetable fritters. His carrot and coriander fritters feature frequently in my home!
7. Dan Toombs (The Curry Guy) has a recipe for coriander and garlic tandoori chicken. It is a delicious reminder about how wonderfully fresh coriander works with curry spices.
8. A chermoula is a spicy middle eastern or north African marinade typically used with fish. Yotam Ottolenghi takes it to another level with his smoky roasted aubergine with chermoula, bulgar and yoghurt recipe.
9. Yotam Ottolenghi's more traditional marinade for fish is a fragrant Mediterranean dream.
10. And thinking of Middle Eastern food (which I do, a lot) what about a fragrant tagine? Claudia Roden's chicken tagine combines handfuls of fresh coriander and parsley with spices such as cinnamon, ginger and turmeric, as well as olives and preserved lemons. It is the perfect taste of sunshine.
11. The doyenne of Mexican cookery, Diana Kennedy has a lovely recipe for "Pescado En Cilantro" - essentially fish cooked in a coriander sauce, with chilli, onion and fresh lime juice.
12. One of the few European countries to be an early adopter of coriander is Portugal. Rupert Kirby explores Portuguese cooking from the Casa Rosada, and as he says, pork tenderloin, turnip greens migas and black eyed beans are definitely good for the soul.
13. If you are not familiar with Vietnamese cooking, then have a look at Uyen Luu's family recipes, which include summer rolls, an omelette baguette stuffed with herbs, a herby chicken salad and crepes.
14. Fresh coriander is also popular in Malaysian cooking, whether included in a spice paste or stirred into a creamy coconut soup (laksa).
15. If an Italian pesto is the classic combination of garlic, basil, olive oil, pine nuts and Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, create your own Asian version as a dressing for hot noodles or stirred through steamed couscous or rice. Replace the basil with coriander, the olive oil with a light vegetable oil, the pine nuts with macadamia, peanuts or candlenuts, and the cheese with a sour young cheese such as labneh or feta.
16. If you are really feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of your options and are worried about wasting your fresh herbs, just whizz the whole lot (roots and all) in a blender with enough vegetable oil to keep it together. Place in a sterilised jar and leave in the fridge, before inspiration strikes you. (Assuming the jar is tightly sealed, the paste should stay fresh for a few weeks.)
So that's my round-up of ideas for using coriander. Is there anything you would have included? Tried and tested, or new and unusual?
Rachel Kelly is the Guardian home cook of the year 2013. Read more on her website or follow her on Twitter @MarmadukeS.
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