How to Grow and Use CORIANDER
Grow and pick CORIANDER
1. Put your plant in a light place but not in full sun
2. Stand the pot on a plastic lid or saucer to catch water
3. Water whenever the soil feels nearly dry
4. Pour water off the saucer so the plant doesn’t get too wet and rot
5. Pick leaves to cook with regularly– take care not to damage the point near the base that the leaves are growing from.
6. The plant will keep growing, giving you coriander all year!
If your plants get little insects (aphids or greenfly) living on them, try spraying or washing the plants with a little bit of washing up liquid or old washing up water– this makes aphids fall off and you can wash them away.
You can eat coriander by itself, put it in salads, sandwiches, stir into pasta or any savoury food you like.
Carrot and coriander soup (serves 4)
Coriander is delicious added to stir fries, green salads, salsas and soups. Carrot and coriander soup is a classic!
Ingredients
1. 500g carrots (about 5-6 middling sized carrots)
2. 1 chopped potato
3. 1 onion
4. 1.2 litres veg or chicken stock
5. A handful of coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
6. 1 tablespoon oil
7. Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Fry onion in the oil until soft
2. Add chopped potato and cook for a couple of minutes
3. Add chopped carrots and stock. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Blend or mash if you like.
Serve straight away with bread, or keep in the fridge for 3 days. Also freezes well.
Chicken coriander curry (serves 4)
Ingredients
500g chicken 1 onion
4 garlic cloves 100g frozen peas
3 tbsp oil Salt and pepper to taste
500ml chicken stock (from a stock cube)
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tsp curry powder or 1/2 jar curry paste
1 tsp ginger powder (or one tbsp grated fresh ginger)
1 tbsp cornflour/plain flour
A bunch of fresh coriander
Method
1. Fry the chicken and oil in a big pan until browned.
2. Add the chopped onion, and cook until soft.
3. Add the chopped garlic, curry powder and ginger and cook for a minute – stir so that it doesn’t burn!
4. Add the stock and cook for 10 mins.
5. Stir in the flour, frozen peas, salt and pepper and coriander.
6. Cook for another five minutes then stir in the yoghurt.
Great served with rice, chapatis or naan breads.