Coriander is a very important herb used in Bangladesh and Indian cuisine. However, it wilts quite quickly once harvested/bought. People are always asking me for ways to make it last longer. No one seems to have a definitive answer
There are a few different methods recommended below in no particular order.
Generally, fresh coriander leaves should be added at the end of cooking, otherwise the flavour is reduced. You can add finely chopped, tender stalks during cooking if you want.
1. Freezing chopped leaves: Wash and clean leaves and tender stalks. Chop in a food processor, not too finely. Add a little water if necessary. Fill into an ice cube tray and freeze. Then store the cubes in a plastic bag or container. When you want to use it, simply open the bag and put the "
coriander-cube"
into the dish, giving it enough time to melt and heat before serving .
2. Keep the bunch of leaves in a glass of water: Remove plastic band from the bunch of coriander leaves. Separate the stems and roots, so that the leaves have room to breathe. Remove any bad ones. Place the lower end of stems/roots in a glass of water, about 2-3 inches deep, enough to submerge roots or lower end of stems. You can place a plastic bag over the leaves, holding it tight with a rubber band, creating a greenhouse like effect. Keep in a cool place, like a shady kitchen top or fridge. This prevents the leaves from drying out. They will last for up to 10 days.
3. Store in an airtight box in the fridge: De-stalk, wash and chop leaves roughly. Spread on a towel and leave for a few hours or overnight to dry off the water, because water makes the leaves ‘rot’ faster. You can keep them as they are or wrap them in a kitchen towel. Store in an airtight box or in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable tray of the fridge. They will last a week or longer.
4. Drying Leaves: Wash and de-stalk leaves, allow the water to drain in a colander and then spread them out on a few layers of newspaper. Leave them in shade, like a warm conservatory, where it is hot. Leaves will dry in about 3 days. The flavour is quite acceptable.
5. Storing in a ‘net’ vegetable bag (widely available and used commonly in Bangladesh) Remove and dead or rotting leaves, wash and dry on a towel overnight. Place in the net bag and store in your fridge vegetable compartment of the fridge.
6. Freeze in plastic bags: Wash the leaves under cold water, chop and store in freezer bags, about a handful per bag, enough to go in a curry as a portion. The trick seems to be covering the leaves with a little water, so the coriander is frozen in the middle of a block of ice. Tie/seal the bags and freeze. Use one bag at a time, straight from the freezer.
7. You can pull them out of the ground, chop off the roots, give them a wash and put into freezer bags, stalks and all. They still smell and taste the same 6 months down the line.
8. Freeze leaves as a sausage: Separate all green leaves from a bunch. Wash them well and dry them in a paper towel thoroughly. Shape them into a sausage by placing them on a cling film and rolling it up tightly. Then hold it together with a rubber band. Make sure that the coriander sausage is tightly rolled. Keep in the freezer. Whenever you need fresh coriander, you just chop off a bit off the sausage and use it directly in the recipe, leaving the balance of the sausage in the deep freeze. It can last this way for more than four months- almost in fresh condition.
9. Storing in the fridge, unwashed and wrapped in a towel: I prefer to wash the leaves when I need them, as it saves me the headache of drying them before storing. Cut the roots off and place the coriander on a cotton kitchen towel. Wrap the coriander leaves just ONCE. If the leaves are a bit wet, place 1/2 sheet of paper at the base of a plastic box approximately 3 inches deep. Place wrapped coriander leaves on top. Leave the plastic box open in the refrigerator and do not place anything on top of it. They can last for 4/5 weeks in the refrigerator and still looks good.
10. Storing in the fridge, unwashed and in a plastic bag: If you do not wash coriander leaves before putting away in a polythene bag in the fridge, they will keep for two weeks at least.
In all case I would suggest using a dark coloured bag it seems to work better.
If you have had any success then feel free to add your ideas and results here for others.
Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:10 am
