Cookaholics Bulletin Board

So, for the first time I made a Burmese dish with the herb "ngo gai". This did not work out well; also known as "culantro", this herb has like three times the quantity of the chemical people hate in cilantro. My sweetie couldn't even be in the same room with it. So, don't cook it for any event unless you've screened all the guests for cilantro tolerance.

So, a question: a bunch of Thai dishes use cilantro root. Does anyone know how cilantro-y the root is? Dave?

The root does not have that intense flavor of the culantro, but, like the culantro, it seems to keep the flavor in a cooked dish more than the leaves of cilantro. I'm not sure why this is. I only use the roots in Thai curry pastes, though I'm sure they are used elsewhwere.

I have grown culantro, and used it, but not in a 1:1 substitute for cilantro, since it is stronger, as you discovered! I add it discreetly, then taste, and add more, if necessary.

Dave,

OK, thanks for that. So ... what can I swap in for cilantro root? Ideas?

I see recipes calling for the stems in place of root, which is what I use, since I usually don't see the roots attached anymore.

Dave,

I'm looking for something to swap in which doesn't have the cilantro chemical.

If I just didn't want the flavor in something, I would just leave it out, rather than substituting. Often other ingredients as substitutes taste strange, instead of just something missing. Of course, you could experiment...that's how great flavors are discovered! I've considered experimenting with epazote in Indian foods.

From Wikipedia:

If I recall correctly, the word epazote is derived from [b]skunk sweat[/i], so that's another one with what some would consider a fetid aroma.

Dave,

Yeah, I'm just looking at some Thai recipes where cilantro root is 1 of 4 ingredients in the curry base. I'll have to skip those.

I can't believe there was a recipe with only 4 ingredients! Most of the curry pastes I have made have 8-10, or even more.

I knew that there were some curry pastes that I had made that didn't have cilantro root, but in the 6 that I have in my cookbook file, there is only one. However, it is one of my two favorite reds, which I always have in the freezer. Here it is:

CLASSIC RED CURRY PASTE

3 oz dried nu-mex chiles
10 dried thai dragons, or to taste
3 tsp coriander seed; toasted, ground
1 large lime zest
4 pairs kaffir lime leaves (optional)
2 large stalks of lemongrass; thinly sliced
2 tb galangal or ginger; minced
1/2 cup(s) garlic; whole, peeled
3/4 cup(s) shallots; roughly chopped
1 1/2 tb shrimp paste; dry roasted

A. Stem the numex chiles and remove the cores and any hard ribs. Place in a large bowl with the thai dragons and cover with hot water. Soak 30 min., then drain. Dry roast the shrimp paste by wrapping in a double layer of foil and flattening it. In a dry skillet over med. heat cook 4- 6 min., turning several times; cool in foil. Toast the coriander in the same skillet 4 or 5 min., shaking around often, until lightly browned. Cool and grind. Dry roast the garlic and shallots 5-7 min., or until tender and lightly browned. Trim the tough outer layers from the lemongrass, cut the root away, and all but about 4" of the stem. Slice thin and set aside. If using kaffir lime leaves cut each lengthwise along both sides of the vein, and discard. Cut into shreds, then mince fine. Have all ingredients at hand.

MORTAR METHOD: Pound all ingredients in the mortar or molcajete in the following order: lemongrass, lime leaves and zest, galangal, cilantro root, coriander, garlic, shallots, chiles, and shrimp paste. Only for the truly obsessed.

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD: Place all ingredients in FP and process 3 minutes, or longer, until totally ground into a paste with no large bits of chile skin left.

IMMERSION BLENDER METHOD (my favorite): Place all ingredients in a qt. container with a hole made in a plastic lid which the blender can go through. On high speed push the blender up and down through the mixture until totally pureed, about 45 sec. to a minute.

VITAMIX METHOD - Place all ingredients in blender, and add 4 tb water (otherwise, it gets too thick, and will not circulate), and blend, until smooth, moving the paste around with the tamper, if necessary..


Storage: 1 month refrigerated, 3 months frozen.



One of the green curry paste recipes in there has 1/3 c clantro roots or stems!