Coriander

Let me tell you about coriander, the leafy kind, the one you may know as cilantro or kinza.

This is a herb with two faces. Crush a leaf and you get a smell that some people find fresh and citrusy, and others find soapy. That is not your kitchen's fault and not a sign of bad coriander. Give it to ten cooks and you will get two opinions, strong ones, and no amount of arguing changes a nose's mind. So choose coriander by look, not by argument: the leaves should be a deep, even green, crisp, standing up in the bunch, never limp or yellowing at the edges. Smell it before you buy — a weak, faint smell means it has already lost its freshness.

Some people say coriander loses its flavor the moment you cook it, so they throw it in only at the very end. No — the truth is milder than that claim. Heat does quiet it down, and what comes out of a brief simmer is softer, not silent. The mistake that misconception leads to is cooks adding so much raw coriander at the last second that it overpowers everything else on the plate. Use it with restraint, and taste as you go.