INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1: CILANTRO AND CORIANDER

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1:  CILANTRO AND CORIANDER:  Learned something.  Cilantro and Coriander are all of the same plant. 

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1: CILANTRO AND CORIANDER

Learned something.  Cilantro and Coriander are all of the same plant.  First found in King Tut's time they were cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. (information from Wiki)

• The leaves of the Coriander plant are called Cilantro or Chinese parsley or fresh coriander. The leaves have a different taste from the seeds, with citrus overtones. 
• The stems of the plant have a different flavor than the leaves. Also a citrusy flavor and sweeter than the leaves. 
• The roots of the plant have a different flavor than the leaves and stems. 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.
• The seeds of the plant (not all coriander plants have seeds - see photo below) have a different flavor from the three above and are called coriander seeds or dhania.  The seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed. It is described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured.

• RECIPE LINKS BELOW PHOTOS:

   

About cilantro and coriander and recipes:

LINK to Recipes

NOTE:  What got me interested in this was when I watched a Cooking Channel Show on cooking with cilantro/coriander.  Here is the link for the recipes on the show.

LINK to Other Recipes

What is cilantro pesto??  See the recipe below. 

LINK to Cilantro Pesto Recipe

CILANTRO PESTO LINKS

ANOTHER LINK to Cilantro Pesto Recipe

A THIRD LINK to Cilantro Pesto

There are lots and lots of recipes that use cilantro and coriander.  Just do a google search. 

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 1 - CILANTRO AND CORIANDER

Cilantro is a strong, distinctive-smelling herb that's often used in Mexican and Indian cooking. While cilantro looks very similar to parsley, its flavor is much stronger. Cilantro is also known as coriander, as are its dried seeds.

Links below!

LINK to Lots of Recipes

LINK to Coriander Substitutes

LINK to Cilantro vs Coriander NUTRITION

VIDEO

LINK to One

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 21: PART 2: INDIAN MASALAS

Masala is a fragrant spice blend. It can be either wet (a paste) or dry (a blend of dried, often toasted and ground spices). The pastes frequently include fresh ingredients like cilantro, mint, ginger and garlic along with dried spices and oil. Dishes made with such pastes sometimes have masala in their name (e.g. chicken tikka masala).

Garam masala is a popular dry spice blend. There are many variations, from region to region and cook to cook. Clove, cinnamon, nutmeg/mace and cardamom are fairly common denominators, with several other spices -- including cumin, coriander, pepper and nigella -- often joining the party. 

• Tandoori masala
• Chatt masala and even 
• Panch phoron, the Bengali five-spice blend

are three other members of the large family of dry masalas.

Ingredients for Sambar Powder (Podi) 

Dry Red Chilli/Sukhi Lal Mirch- 250 gms [Use long dry red 

chilli]

Coriander Seeds/Dhaniya - 250gms


Turmeric/Haldi - 3 pieces or tumeric powder - 1/2 tbsp


Split Yellow Pigeon Peas/Toor Dal - 2 tbsp


Bengal Gram/Channa Dal - 1 tbsp


Peppercorns/Kaali Mirch - 1/2 tbsp


Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 2 tbsp


Mustard Seeds/Rai - 1 tbsp


Fenugreek Seeds/Methi - 1 tsp


Asafoetida/Hing - 1 tsp


Curry Leaves/Kari Patta - 2 sprigs [optional]


You can get products on Amazon.com 


LINK FOR PREPARATION


LINK FOR RECIPES USING SAMBAR POWDER RECIPES

INTERNATIONAL: HERBS AND SPICES 21: PART 1: MASALAS

ACCORDING TO WIKI THERE ARE SEVERAL MASALAS

Many of the definitions below are from WIKI:

++++Masala chai or chai, tea made with spices

++++Garam masala ground spices used for flavouring food

++++Chaat masala, ground spices used for flavouring chaat (Chaat is a term describing savory  snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or food carts in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh)

++++Tandoori masala, ground spices used in tandoor cooking (Tandoori chicken is a dish originating from Indian subcontinent.  It is widely popular in South Asia, Middle Eastern and Western countries.  I consists of roasted chicken prepared with yoghurt and spices.  The name comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in which the dish is traditionally prepared.) from the Indian subcontinent.)

++++Chicken tikka masala, a curry

++++Masala dosa, a dosa with spices
(Dosa is a fermented crepe made from rice batter and black lentils. It is a staple dish in South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.)

++++Paan masala, a paan with spices
(Paan Masala is a balanced mixture of betel leaf with lime, areca nut, clove, cardamom, mint, tobacco, essence and other ingredients)

NOTE:  Ran across this one in my research, also.

5-SPICE MASALA (Panch Phoran): A spice blend from east India (Bengal, Bihar, Orissa). Ingredients: Whole seeds of cumin, fenugreek, Nigella sativa, mustard and fennel.

GENERIC DEFINITION:

A northern Indian masala that is pungent, not fiery-hot. Ingredients: coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, bay leaf, and peppercorns. 

2. NOTE:  I will deal with the most common:  garam masala.
3. As with any mixed blend there are several different versions

RECIPE LINKS FOR GARAM MASALA AND DISHES (PHOTOS BELOW)

ALLRECIPES.COM

EASY GARAM MASALA SPICE MIX FROM ALLRECIPES.COM  -  VIDEO

EASY GARAM MASALA SPICE RECIPE FROM EPICURIOUS


QUICK GARAM MASALA RECIPE FROM WISE BREAD

FOOD NETWORK RECIPE FOR CHICKEN BY AIDA MOLLENKAMP


FROM WISEBREAD 30 DELICIOUS GARAM MASALA RECIPES