Island Pantry
Chinese parsley: Love it or leave it

Chinese parsley is one name for cilantro, which is used in many ethnic cuisines around the world. Gregory Yamamoto • Honolulu Advertiser

Chinese parsley, or cilantro as it’s known in many places, has been a passion of mine ever since I tasted it chopped and mixed into a crunchy, sweet Chinese chicken salad as a kid.

Yet, I’ll be the first to admit that my passion is hardly shared by everyone. In fact, distaste for the pungent flavor seems to run as strong as the love of it. My brother, for instance, would rather starve than let a sliver of the green herb pass his lips.

Regardless, Chinese parsley is abundant in Chinatown markets and in virtually every other kind of market in town. It’s no wonder, with the popularity of Hawaiian regional and California style cuisines based heavily on fresh produce and Asian and Southwestern influences. The herb is probably one of the most widely used in the world, figuring prominently in the cuisines of India, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Morocco and Greece.

In Southeast Asia, Chinese parsley is mixed especially well with other popular seasonings such as chilies, mint, lemongrass, lime and Thai basil. However, it’s almost always best raw, rather than cooked. It can also be simmered gently in stews and broths, as in the Hunan soup that follows.

But it doesn’t work in stir-fry dishes, except as a raw garnish when you’re done. Saute it that way, and the whole thing will turn brown and unappetizing. Cook it in an acidy tomato base, and it will turn black.

The Chinese have used the parsley as a kind of cure-all for everything from indigestion and headaches to arthritis and gas. "It has to do with the belief in the yin and yang of things," says Thanh Mougeot, a passionate cook of Vietnamese ancestry. "Spicy food makes the body hot, and when it’s hot, it’s out of balance. You need something like cilantro to cool it down," he said.

Mougeot loves the herb, which in Vietnamese is called ngo (pronounced "ngaw"). She uses it to garnish her bittermelon and squash soups. "We use it in every meal - in salads and cold noodles," she said. It is particularly good, she said, combined with mint and Thai basil.

"There is not a lot of meat in Vietnamese cooking," added Mougeot. "We use meat more as a flavoring than a main ingredient. Cilantro gives dishes a nice flavor and fragrance."

The following fruit salad has a tropical, somewhat Caribbean flair. It should be prepared right before serving.

Fruit Salad With Cilantro

• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 small pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 oranges, peeled and pith removed, cut into sections
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1/8 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup fresh Chinese parsley leaves

In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, corn syrup and vinegar. Prepare the fruits and arrange in a bowl. Toss with the dressing. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

The Hunan soup is something your grandmother would have made for you on a bad day; perfect when you are feeling "under the weather."

Hunan Parsley Soup

• 8 ounces of ground pork
• 2 quarts water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large bunch fresh Chinese parsley
• Soy sauce to taste

Place the pork and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the salt and pepper and boil over medium heat for about 2 hours, or until the water has reduced by half. Wash and trim the ends of the Chinese parsley. Add the parsley to the stock and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Ladle the broth into four bowls and distribute the parsley and pork equally. Garnish with a few leaves of parsley. Season to taste with soy sauce. Serves 4.

Kaui Philpotts is the former food editor of The Advertiser and the author of "Hawaiian Country Tables." Island Pantry alternates each week with her other column, Entertaining.

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