Cilantro is truly an international herb that is used in a wide variety of cuisines around the world, including Asia, The Middle East, India, Europe, The Mediterranean,  Africa, Mexico and South America. In addition to its culinary uses, cilantro was a widely used folk medicine for a variety of conditions, and has been shown to have anti bacterial, antioxidant and other health-boosting properties.

How to Prepare Cilantro

1. Holding the cilantro by the stems, submerge it in water and swish it around for a good 60 seconds. 
2. Dry with either a dish towel, paper towels or a salad spinner. 
3. Remove the larger stems and then chop the leaves and the remaining stems together with a sharp knife.

[content_upgrade cu_id="15680"]Get our free cookbook: 15 Recipes That Will Make You Look Like A Star[content_upgrade_button]CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD NOW[/content_upgrade_button][/content_upgrade]

Cilantro, coriander or Chinese parsley

Cilantro goes by several different names:  cilantro, coriander and chinese parsley. There are two things you need to know about cilantro:

1. Cilantro is very very dirty

So always wash it well, preferably by submerging in water and swishing it around. You will literally see the dirt collect in the bottom of the sink.  Dry either with dish towels or in a salad spinner.

2. Don't sweat the stems

When I first started cooking with cilantro I very meticulously removed all the stems and then just used the leaves. This was a huge pain, that always made me think twice before using the herb. Stemming is not necessary. The stems are flavorful and can be chopped up with the leaves. I usually pinch off the longest stems, but I don't spend more than 5 seconds doing it. Leaves and stems, they are all good.

Versatile Cilantro

Cilantro livens up a wide variety of dishes including:  Chicken tortilla soup, Killer chicken tacos and Puamana coconut rice.