What Is Cilantro – Using The Stem – Should You Use It – Is It Healthy – Alternatives – Summary
Cilantro is an incredibly tasty and versatile herb to use in the kitchen. It’s one of those plants though, that you either love or hate. Nonetheless the most flavor of the plant will actually be found in the stem. The leaves are very tasty too, but the stem is where the action really is.
You can make a number of different recipes with the stems of cilantro. One of our favorites being salsas or green sauces with it. Perfect as a condiment for something a little bit spicy.
What Is Cilantro
Cilantro is a very aromatic and herbaceous plant that is both commonly found on restaurant menus but also in people’s gardens. Since it’s a fairly easy to grow plant this means it’s a great beginner friendly one to start out with.
Cilantro basically just needs a soil which is well draining and kept slightly damp. This will help promote root growth which then turns into more leaves being able to grow as more nutrients are coming from the roots.
Find a relatively sunny spot to plant your cilantro and enjoy the bountiful harvests you will get throughout the whole summer and early autumn. Depending on your climate, it will determine the season for your cilantro plant. But when you are starting to see it wilt a little bit, you should get it down completely. Now is the perfect time to use those stems that are on the plant.
Do You Use The Stem of Cilantro
Like we mentioned in the beginning, the stems of the cilantro plant is a great addition to use in your cooking. This is the most flavourful part of the entire plant so of course we want to use that too.
The stems are often a little bit crispy, so for the most pleasant eating experience you should thinly slice them. This will help produce more surface area and in turn a little bit more aroma and flavor.
Some of the best recipes you could do with the stems are green herb sauces or salsa. Mixing cilantro and oil into a rough paste will make for a very nice condiment for your meal. We especially like to use it for some more spicy food. The flavor of cilantro really goes well together with that.
Should You Use The Stem Of Cilantro
If you are looking to get the most nutrients from your cilantro plant then you should definitely be using the stems of the plant too. The leaves are really tasty as well, but the stems pack more of a punch.
There have been a number of reports showing that cilantro is very rich in antioxidants. This means that a good intake of cilantro should make it less common for you to get sick with colds or fevers. Antioxidants are great at preventing that. So since the stem of the plant has the most nutrients they should definitely be eaten too and not thrown away.
Are Cilantro Stems Healthy
The stems of the cilantro plant are very healthy. They are really a great addition to a meal. The crunchy and flavorful character of them makes them a favorite in our household.
The cilantro plant is very rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Just 2 teaspoons of cilantro will be enough to cover 1 third of the Vitamin K you need. The antioxidants help improve the immune system of your body too. This makes it less likely that you will get sick with colds or fevers anytime soon. Antioxidants greatly help the white blood cells in the body, which responsibility is to attack inflamed areas in the body.
Alternatives To Cilantro Stems
There are a lot of different herbs out there to choose from when cooking. With cilantro you will either love the herb or not at all. It’s pretty interesting that about 10 % of the population has a genetic thing where the taste of cilantro is repulsive.
So substitutes for cilantro stems could really be any other herb with nice crunchy stems. The first that comes to mind would be parsley or basil for example. These are really flavorful and tasty herbs to use in cooking too. They look and will work much the same as the cilantro stems.
We also use basil and parsley stems in salsa and green sauces. They add a nice sweetness to it on top of just being very tasty herbs.
Summary
So let’s conclude this small article about using cilantro stems. We have concluded that the stem of the plant is probably the most flavorful part of it. That means we should definitely use it in cooking. It’s nice and crunchy when chopped and added to a salad.
But in a green sauce or salsa it’s great. It brings it to another level. The antioxidants in the cilantro will also help your body stay more healthy as it can easily fight of sickness like fevers and colds.
Additional Information
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