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Fresh herbs · Fresh herbs

Culantro (chadon beni)

Long, serrated leaves with a coriander flavour, but stronger; Trinidad's chadon beni and Puerto Rico's recao.

Also called: chadon beni, shado beni, recao, ngo gai, sawtooth coriander, long coriander, bandhania

Around the world: culantro, recao (es) · ngò gai (vi) · phak chi farang (th)

A kind of fresh herbs

2 recipes with it

What it is

A tropical herb with long, saw-edged leaves growing from a central root. It tastes like coriander (cilantro) but much more intense, and holds up better to cooking. It is the heart of Trinidadian green seasoning, Puerto Rican sofrito and many Vietnamese and Thai soups.

Eryngium foetidum

How it’s used

  • Blended into Caribbean green seasoning
  • Added to curries and stews in Trinidad
  • Cooked into sofrito and recaito
  • Served with phở and other Vietnamese soups

Characteristics

Taste
Strong coriander flavour, slightly soapy and peppery.
Aroma
Intense and pungent.
Sold as
fresh
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Commonly cooked, Mainly a seasoning

Storage

Refrigerated. Wrap in damp paper towel in a bag; keeps 1 week in the fridge.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
23 kcal
Protein
2.13 g
Carbohydrate
3.67 g
Fat
0.52 g
Fibre
2.8 g
Sugars
0.87 g

USDA FoodData Central: Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with culantro (chadon beni)

More fresh herbs