Cilantro, also called as Kothmir or Hara Dhaniya in Urdu language, sometimes referred as Coriander leaves, is my favorite, most quintessential culinary herb, which I love to add in most of my vegetable preparations while I cook.

Growing this fragrant herb is easy. Every Indian kitchen is stocked up with coriander seeds. Just sow a few of them into soil, water a little daily to keep the soil moist. They sprout in about 10 days time. I sowed a handful seeds in railing planters, as well as in a few used yogurt boxes (which I washed throughly, and made two holes in the bottom, before adding soil and sowing) and they grew beautifully.

Cilantro blooms are the most fragrant. If you pluck a few, the strong fragrance lasts in your fingers for a long time for everybody to notice.

I sow a few coriander seeds, once every two months and fertilize them with manure, so that I have cilantro at hand whenever I need it. Place the pots outdoors in summers, and sow them indoors in pots in front of bright windows in winters.

Before using cilantro, wash them thoroughly in water, pat dry and use as required.

Note: According to Ayurveda, Cilantro has a cooling effect and is very good for detoxification of the body.

Edited content. Posted with permission from Mona of Zaiqa – Modern Hyderabadi Cuisine.