Culantro ✦

Chardon béni

What it is

Despite the coriander scent it is an Eryngium, a sea-holly relative, and the leaf is a leathery toothed rosette rather than a soft frond. That structure is why it holds up through a long simmer, where coriander leaf added early vanishes — it is chadon beni in Trinidad, ngo gai in Vietnam, recao in Puerto Rico.

In the kitchen

It runs three or four times as strong as coriander, so substitute by the leaf and not by the bunch: one leaf for a small handful. Shred it finely across the ribs — whole leaves stay chewy however long they cook.

Goes with

Chili pepper Lime Garlic Cilantro / Coriander Fish sauce Coconut milk Pork

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