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Background:

Specific flavorants of cilantro that impart its distinct and characteristic flavor are well-known to be heat-labile (sensitive to heating where the flavor compounds break down) by chefs.

Question:

Are there any special techniques known to keep these compounds intact when using it in cooked dishes that are warm or hot?

Example:

There is one common strategy to add it in the end of a cooked meal and before consumption to maximize the ability to taste it in a meal. Looking for others but this one is welcome.

Prashanth C
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1 Answers1

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As a lover of cilantro and an avid curry aficionado with many years experience, the answer, unfortunately, is "No". I learned very quickly that the only way to retain that distinctive flavour is to add cilantro at the end of cooking, otherwise I was just darkening the colour of the dish.

Cilantro is an extremely delicate herb, and while the stems and roots are a little more rugged and can be cooked slightly more intensely than the leaf itself, the flavour will still dissipate very quickly. So if you are going to cook with cilantro at all, use the roots and stems in the dish and reserve the leaves to garnish or stir in at the end.

It is not just heat that affects it, freezing cilantro will also reduce the flavour considerably.

The best solution I can suggest is to use dried cilantro leaf (Note - not coriander powder). This seems to be much more tolerant of longer cooking times and higher temperatures. I have added this to sauces and the flavour and aroma is still present after ~ 20 minutes cooking, although the flavour signature is very different from the fresh variety. While not a direct substitute, for me it gives the dish the heavier cilantro flavours, your taste buds may disagree though. You will have to experiment with quantities to get the balance right, as it is easy to overpower a dish with dried herbs as they are more intense.

I haven't tried other brands, but I have used the Schwartz brand which is consistent in taste and quality.

Schwartz dried coriander leaf

Greybeard
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