| Another name given to cilantro because of its popularity in Asian cooking. Chinese parsley is as commonly used in China as regular parsley is used elsewhere.
The green leaves of the coriander plant, which resemble a parsley-like green. With a sharp distinctive flavor that is very popular for Mexican and Asian food dishes, Chinese Parsley is the same as Cilantro, however due to its popularity in China it was given the name of Chinese parsley. When used as an ingredient, this herb must be prepared as a fresh green because it loses its flavor when it is dried. It is best to add it to cooked dishes at the very end of the cooking process since the heat from cooking will cause the leaves to rapidly lose their flavor.
Chinese Parsley can be kept fresh for a few days after harvesting by wrapping the leaves in damp paper towels covered with plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator. It is a common seasoning in a variety of Mexican foods such as fish or salsa. In addition to be known as Cilantro, Chinese Parsley may be referred to as coriander, but coriander is actually the entire plant including the roots, leaves, and seeds. As the Chinese Parsley plant grows beyond the leaf greens it goes to seed, forming small fruits that are dried to become the coriander seeds for use as a popular seasoning. |
