Coriander seeds

Flavour and aroma

lemony, floral, mildly sweet, nutty when roasted. Warm, citrusy, nutty.

Heat

No heat

Forms

whole, ground

How to use it

• dry roast · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) technique

  Roast in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2–4 minutes, stirring, until a shade darker and strongly fragrant. Roast it apart from smaller seeds, which finish sooner.

• grind · Dry grinding technique

  Grind once cool. For sambar and rasam powder it is ground with roasted dals and chillies.

• crush · Dry grinding technique

  Crack coarsely in a mortar for pickles, dry vegetable dishes and kebabs.

• Dry-roasted and ground into garam masala, sambar and rasam powders
• Crushed into rubs and coatings
• Pickling brines and sausages
• Belgian-style beers and baking

Identifying good quality

Round to slightly oval, ribbed, pale tan to greenish seeds 3–5 mm across. Indian types are often oval and greener; European and Moroccan types rounder and larger. Avoid dull grey, dusty seed.

• Not to be confused with Black peppercorns: Peppercorns are black and wrinkled; coriander is pale and ribbed.

Origin and history

Origin: The eastern Mediterranean and western Asia.. Grown and used: India is the largest producer and consumer (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat); also grown in Morocco, Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria..

Coriander is among the oldest documented spices, known from ancient Egypt and Greece. In India the seed is the bulk spice of most masalas, from garam masala to sambar powder, because it gives body and mild citrus flavour without harshness.

Well documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

• Punjabi garam masalaMasala30 g per batch
• Mughlai (shahi) garam masalaMasala10 g per batch
• Biryani masalaMasala10 g per batch
• Chaat masalaMasala6 g per batch
• Tandoori masalaMasala20 g per batch
• Kadai masalaMasala30 g per batch
• Chole masalaMasala20 g per batch
• Pav bhaji masalaMasala20 g per batch
• Sambar powderMasala60 g per batch
• Rasam powderMasala40 g per batch
• Chettinad masalaMasala25 g per batch
• Madras curry powderMasala40 g per batch
• Goda masalaMasala50 g per batch
• Kolhapuri kanda-lasun masalaMasala20 g per batch
• Malvani masalaMasala30 g per batch
• Xacuti masalaMasala8 g per batch
• Everyday curry powder (British-style)Masala30 g per batch
• Sri Lankan roasted curry powderMasala50 g per batch
• Thai red curry pasteMasala2 g per batch
• Thai green curry pasteMasala2 g per batch
• Thai yellow curry pasteMasala4 g per batch
• Massaman curry pasteMasala4 g per batch
• Panang curry pasteMasala3 g per batch
• Berbere spice blendMasala6 g per batch
• Ras el hanoutMasala8 g per batch
• Baharat (Lebanese seven spice)Masala6 g per batch
• Egyptian dukkahMasala20 g per batch
• Dukkah with bread and olive oilSauce15 g per batch
• HarissaSauce1.9 g per batch