The first kitchen chore I was ever tasked with was selecting cilantro leaves. It occurred one Sunday morning, as my father was making aloo paratha, the flaky Indian flatbread that is filled with spiced mashed potatoes. I was loitering impatiently on the perimeter of the kitchen, and he requested me to bear a bunch of cilantro for the filling. I can nonetheless keep in mind how strongly he emphasised the importance of making optimistic each leaf was stem-free—he claimed that even just a bit little little bit of stem would possibly break the paratha experience.
In actual fact, that’s not true—cilantro’s stems are utterly easy to eat (my father may very well be a bit picky). And however, for a few years, I continued to painstakingly go over bunches of cilantro in my home kitchen, plucking each leaf free; after washing and spinning dry the entire leaves, I’d throw the pile of stems into the trash.
Nowadays, though, I do know larger. First off, I observe Kenji’s fastidiously researched pointers for storing current herbs like cilantro, parsley, mint, and basil. I reap the benefits of the tender stems in salads or sandwiches, and, on occasion, I finely chop them and add them to nuoc cham. And as soon as I am making totally different Southeast Asian dishes, like Thai-style grilled hen, I observe Kenji’s suggestion and substitute these flavorful cilantro stems for cilantro root, which can be exceedingly robust to hunt out.
Prolonged story fast, whereas we often use solely the tender leaves of herbs in accomplished dishes, the stems nonetheless have masses to provide. The following time you’re on the purpose of toss a bundle, keep in mind saving them for bouquet garni, the seasoning bundle which will style hen stock and stews like this Provençal ratatouille.
Toss a few additional stems into the pan in order so as to add complexity to your subsequent butter-basted steak. Must have the benefit of a béarnaise with that steak? Seize some chervil and tarragon stems. Equally, basil stems make a implausible addition to tomato sauces, of every the quick-cooked and slow-cooked varieties.
Essential Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Herb stems are moreover far hardier than their leaves, which signifies that they stand as a lot as freezing larger. So if you’ll chop up herbs and freeze them in oil, or in the event you occur to’re planning on drying your herbs inside the microwave, keep in mind tossing the unused stems in a freezer bag along with vegetable scraps; they could are available helpful to your subsequent quick vegetable stock.