The Cilantro Question
December 4th 2010 18:20
:
The Cilantro Question
First, what is the cilantro question?
Do you love it, do you hate it?
Soapy or citrusy?
Nature or nurture?
The science. I love cilantro. I love it in many different ways. About one third of the people who take my classes HATE the stuff. It ight be the way I use it but, they don't want to see it, don't want to smell it, don't want to taste it.
As an interested observer or such things (yes I know, food geek) I found this taste split really fascinating. Could I be some taste bud freak? What about all the other people who really LOVE cilantro? Maybe those who hate it are just Philistines. In the end it can usually be expained at least in part by science. The rest is down to geo-sociological(madeTHAT up) factors. But first the science, mmmmmmm.
Taste buds react to the 5 major taste groups; sweet, salty, sour, and bitter with umami being the "wild card", that indefineable element of taste/sensation that we get from things like tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweed(kombu), msg and some meats. There are more specifics but we'll leave that for another post(actually, check out the link to a 2008 NPR discussion on the subject).
As you know, or will in a second, our sense of taste is largely derived/connected to our sense of smell. Loose your nose in an ski accident and your sense of taste is 90% gone.
How does this connect to cilantro you ask?
Cilantro contains aldahydes and so does soap, which is why some people's brains identify cilantro as having soapy smell/flavour.
Chances are that if you grew up eating it (cilantro not soap) you'll enjoy it's citrusy goodness. The rest of the cilantro lovers have taste buds geared towards, or at least not opposed to it's "soapy/citrusy" character.
The following recipe is a variation on a variation blah blah blah. Make it your own, the method is the same regardless of the filling.
Mixed Mushroom Spring Roll with Dipping Sauce
3 medium carrots, grated or finely julienned
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 large red onion, sliced and caramelized
1 cup well washed and finely chopped Cilantro
1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
1 head of roasted garlic
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 beaten eggs
25 spring roll wrappers
125 ml vegetable oil
Make the filling:
In a heavy bottomed sauté pan, sauté the mushrooms in 2 tbsp olive oil or butter or combo of both, until browned and very fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Combine mushrooms with remaining ingredients (except spring roll wrappers, beaten eggs and vegetable oil).
To make rolls, place the spring roll wrapper in front of you, with one corner at the bottom so that it resembles a diamond. Brush the four edges of the wrapper with the beaten egg. Next, add the filling in the bottom part of the wrapper in a thin log shape, not touching the edges. Leave the bottom few centimeters clear. Lift the wrapper over the top and tuck it in under the filling. Fold over the left side, and then the right side and roll it up to form a tube. Brush a little more egg along the top part and seal the roll. Repeat until all the rolls are finished.
Arrange spring rolls in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Brush with vegetable oil. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, until hot and lightly browned. For crispier spring rolls, turn after 10 minutes.
Dipping Sauce
3 Thai bird chilies or 1 serrano chili, or to taste
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tbsp balsamic or rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
Cut the chilies into thin rings. Remove one-third of the chilies and set aside for garnish. Place the remaining chilies, garlic and sugar in a mortar, and pound into a coarse, wet paste. (If you don't have a mortar, just chop with a knife.) Transfer to a small bowl and add the water, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Cilantro oil for drizzling
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
Combine cilantro and oil in a blender or processor. Puree until almost smooth. Transfer the puree to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Press to extract as much liquid as possible then get rid of the left over cilantro in the strainer. Whisk 1/4 cup water into the mixture in the bowl. Season the oil to taste with salt and pepper. Put the oil into a plastic sqeeze bottle and start decorating your plates/soups etc.,.
*Add 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in place of the water, shake well and you have cilantro vinaigrette or dipping sauce.
Enjoy. Chef Phil
Do you love it, do you hate it?
Soapy or citrusy?
Nature or nurture?
The science. I love cilantro. I love it in many different ways. About one third of the people who take my classes HATE the stuff. It ight be the way I use it but, they don't want to see it, don't want to smell it, don't want to taste it.
As an interested observer or such things (yes I know, food geek) I found this taste split really fascinating. Could I be some taste bud freak? What about all the other people who really LOVE cilantro? Maybe those who hate it are just Philistines. In the end it can usually be expained at least in part by science. The rest is down to geo-sociological(madeTHAT up) factors. But first the science, mmmmmmm.
As you know, or will in a second, our sense of taste is largely derived/connected to our sense of smell. Loose your nose in an ski accident and your sense of taste is 90% gone.
How does this connect to cilantro you ask?
Cilantro contains aldahydes and so does soap, which is why some people's brains identify cilantro as having soapy smell/flavour.
Chances are that if you grew up eating it (cilantro not soap) you'll enjoy it's citrusy goodness. The rest of the cilantro lovers have taste buds geared towards, or at least not opposed to it's "soapy/citrusy" character.
The following recipe is a variation on a variation blah blah blah. Make it your own, the method is the same regardless of the filling.
Mixed Mushroom Spring Roll with Dipping Sauce
3 medium carrots, grated or finely julienned
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 large red onion, sliced and caramelized
1 cup well washed and finely chopped Cilantro
1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
1 head of roasted garlic
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 beaten eggs
25 spring roll wrappers
125 ml vegetable oil
Make the filling:
In a heavy bottomed sauté pan, sauté the mushrooms in 2 tbsp olive oil or butter or combo of both, until browned and very fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Combine mushrooms with remaining ingredients (except spring roll wrappers, beaten eggs and vegetable oil).
To make rolls, place the spring roll wrapper in front of you, with one corner at the bottom so that it resembles a diamond. Brush the four edges of the wrapper with the beaten egg. Next, add the filling in the bottom part of the wrapper in a thin log shape, not touching the edges. Leave the bottom few centimeters clear. Lift the wrapper over the top and tuck it in under the filling. Fold over the left side, and then the right side and roll it up to form a tube. Brush a little more egg along the top part and seal the roll. Repeat until all the rolls are finished.
Arrange spring rolls in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Brush with vegetable oil. Bake in the preheated oven 20 minutes, until hot and lightly browned. For crispier spring rolls, turn after 10 minutes.
Dipping Sauce
3 Thai bird chilies or 1 serrano chili, or to taste
1 clove garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2/3 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tbsp balsamic or rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
Cut the chilies into thin rings. Remove one-third of the chilies and set aside for garnish. Place the remaining chilies, garlic and sugar in a mortar, and pound into a coarse, wet paste. (If you don't have a mortar, just chop with a knife.) Transfer to a small bowl and add the water, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Cilantro oil for drizzling
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
Combine cilantro and oil in a blender or processor. Puree until almost smooth. Transfer the puree to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Press to extract as much liquid as possible then get rid of the left over cilantro in the strainer. Whisk 1/4 cup water into the mixture in the bowl. Season the oil to taste with salt and pepper. Put the oil into a plastic sqeeze bottle and start decorating your plates/soups etc.,.
*Add 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp sesame oil in place of the water, shake well and you have cilantro vinaigrette or dipping sauce.
Enjoy. Chef Phil
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