Cilantro and coriander: one is a herb, the other another name for that herb, but also a spice. Confused?
Understandable, because how can a herb also be a spice?
A unique plant, geography and language answer that question.
According to the Oxford Companion to Food, the coriander plant is indigenous to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region and has been used in that part of the world since classical times.
It was popular then and is now because coriander sativum, its Latin name, is one of the few plants that yield both a herb and a spice.
It’s a herb when parts of the plant, primarily the leaves, but also the stems and roots, are used fresh. Part of the coriander plant becomes a spice when the seeds are harvested when ripe and then dried, creating an ingredient very different from the fresh parts of the plant in look and taste.
According to The New Food Lover’s Companion, the tan-coloured spice, used whole or ground, is mildly fragrant and has an aromatic flavour akin to a combination of lemon, sage and caraway. Fresh coriander, which has bright green leaves, is pungent with a bold taste that can stand out in dishes, even fiery, hot-chili-spiced ones.
The above qualities made coriander popular in many other parts of the world when introduced there, such as other parts of Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America.
In European, Middle Eastern and Asian recipes written in English, the word coriander is used for both the herb and spice, but the word fresh will be inserted when describing the former.
In Latin American countries, coriander the herb is called cilantro, the Spanish translation of the word coriander. The term cilantro also began to be used in places where Latin American cuisines, such as Mexican, became popular, such as the United States and Canada.
That’s why in most North American recipes, the term cilantro is used when the herb is required, whether for salsa or hot and sour soup, and coriander when the spice is what’s needed, whether it’s for a curry, baked good or pickling brine.
I’ve also used those terms in today’s recipes, where the spice coriander flavours roasted salmon, cilantro flavours a Vietnamese-style noodle dish, and both cilantro and coriander flavour a delightful red lentil coconut soup.
Vietnamese-style Chicken and Rice Noodle Bowl
This recipe is from my book The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook. It’s a version of the cold rice noodle bowls offered on menus at some Vietnamese restaurants. Those noodles are often topped with slices of grilled pork and fried spring rolls.
In this take on the dish, a colourful mix of raw vegetables and hot pieces of store-bought rotisserie chicken take their place. Drizzle the noodles with nuoc cham, a hot, salty, and sour Vietnamese-style sauce, just before serving.
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: One minute
Makes: Four servings
For the nuoc cham
1 cup hot water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp dried, crushed chili flakes
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup grated carrots
For the noodle bowl
1/2 lb thin dried Asian-style rice noodles
2 cups shredded head or romaine lettuce
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 English cucumber, cut in matchstick-size slices
24 small sprigs of fresh cilantro
1 store-bought hot rotisserie chicken, cut into portions
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnish
Make nuoc cham by placing the hot water and sugar in a medium bowl and stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the chili flakes, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice and carrots. Allow the sauce to steep for at least 15 minutes before serving. The sauce can be made a couple of hours ahead, then covered and refrigerated until needed.
To make the noodle bowl, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook for one minute, until just tender.
Drain the noodles well, and then run cold water into the pot to cool the noodles. Drain the noodles again and divide them among four large, shallow bowls.
Placing each of the ingredients in separate mounds, top the noodles with lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber and cilantro, leaving space in the bowl for the chicken.
Arrange the chicken in that space. Sprinkle each serving with peanuts. Serve the nuoc cham in individual bowls for drizzling.
Coriander Pepper Baked Salmon with Maple Citrus Sauce
Quick-cooking, nicely spiced fish topped with a sweet-and-sour sauce flavoured with such things as orange, lime and ginger.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 20 minutes
Makes: four servings
For the sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp cornstarch
For the salmon and to serve
4 (5 to 6 oz.) salmon fillets
3/4 tsp whole coriander seed
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• coarse sea or kosher salt, to taste
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Make sauce by placing its ingredients in a small pot and whisking to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium, medium-high heat. Simmer sauce three to four minutes. Remove sauce from the heat, cover and set aside until needed.
To cook the fish, preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the salmon, skin-side-down in a non-stick or parchment paper-lined baking pan. Coarsely grind the coriander seeds and black peppercorns in a spice grinder. Or, if you don’t have a spice grinder, place the coriander seeds and peppercorns on a secured cutting board. Use the bottom of a heavy skillet to press on them and roll and coarsely crush them.
Sprinkle and rub the coriander, pepper and salt on the salmon. Now drizzle the fish with the 2 Tbsp orange juice and 1 Tbsp lime juice.
Bake the salmon for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through. When the salmon is almost cooked, uncover the sauce and return to a simmer.
When cooked, set the salmon on a platter or individual plates, top with sauce and serve, sprinkled with green onion.
Heavenly spiced Red Lentil Coconut Soup
Ground coriander, mustard, cumin, turmeric and cayenne make this Indian-style soup heavenly aromatic and tasty. Make a meal of it by serving it with warm slices of naan or pita bread.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 30 minutes
Makes: six servings
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups dried red lentils
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth
1 (14 oz/400 mL) can coconut milk
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro to taste (see Note)
• salt to taste
Place the oil in a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and heat and stir until they just begin to crackle and a few pop. Quickly remove from heat and stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Let spices stand five minutes
Add the lentils, onion, carrot, garlic and ginger to the pot. Set pot back over medium heat and cook and stir four minutes more. Add the coconut milk and stock, increase the heat to medium-high and bring soup to boil. Now lower the heat until soup gently simmers. Simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
Stir in the cilantro, season the soup with salt and pepper, and serve.
Eric Akis is the author of The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
