About The Author
Hello! From Chuchura (in Hooghly District) and a foodie, I created this blog with a mission to preserve the food of the land; with a message to encourage and promote clean and real food. I hope you enjoy and gain out of this blog, happy reading!
Looking forward to read and hear your feedback.
On the internet, you will find a lot of methods to keep your coriander leaves fresh for a longer duration.
I was fortunate enough to try most of these methods because I stay alone and the minimum amount of coriander leaves that the vendor would put in my bag would last me for weeks.
Some of the methods that you find on the internet may not be suitable for India. Some would require you to buy additional pantry items.
I thought – why should preserving my coriander leaves for long require me to buy additional purchases? I kept on trying the different ways and I kept on throwing my rotten herbs in the bin a few days later.
But then magic happened!
On an online forum called “Sikandalous Cuisine” run by the very famous Atul Sikand, I found a way to preserve them for a longer duration.
An experiment confirmed what I required and here I am sharing it with you. I will share two methods.
Method 1: The Paper Towel Method to Preserve Coriander Leaves for Long
I followed this method for quite sometime and it helped preserve my herbs for sometime.
What You Need to Preserve your Coriander Leaves
- Kitchen scissor or knife
- Bowls
- Paper Towels
- Tiffin Box (Stainless stee/food grade plastics/etc.)
- Water
- Coriander Leaves (of course!)
How to Use Paper Towels to Store Your Herbs
Follow the steps below in sequence as soon as you returned buying the coriander leaves in the market
- Using a kitchen scissor or knife, trim out the roots of the coriander leaves and any battered leaves and stems
- Put these coriander leaves along with stems in a bowl and wash them softly in water to remove any dirt. Repeat this process a couple of times
- Allow the washed coriander leaves to dry. You can leave them in the sun for half an hour, put them under a fan or pat dry very carefully using a paper towel. For me leaving them near the kitchen window for half an hour works best
- Once the coriander leaves have no water on them (moisture will make your herbs rot soon), take several paper towels
- In each paper towel, put a part of the coriander leaves (along with stems of course) and gently roll them. Repeat this till the entire stock of the coriander leaves have been rolled in paper towels
- Put these rolled paper towels in a tiffin box with the lid on
- Store them in the refrigerator
Whenever you need some coriander leaves, take out one paper towel and use the coriander leaves in it. Need more? Take another!
This way your coriander leaves will stay fresh for long
Remember
The herbs breathe and the moisture will make the paper towel wet. This can in turn spell doom for your coriander leaves. So it is important that you take out the tiffin box every 3-4 days for an inspection. If you notice sogginess, change the paper towels and keep the tiffin box back in the refrigerator
Method 2: The Glass Method to Store Coriander Leaves for Long in Refrigerator
The problem with the method described above is that it takes significant hard work. That is where the second method comes in.
Trust me, this method has minimal work and works like a charm for weeks.
What You Need
- Coriander Leaves
- Kitchen scissor or a knife
- Bowl
- Glass
- Water
- Plastic bag
How to Use a Glass of Water to Store Coriander Leaves Fresh for Long
Follow these steps to preserve and store coriander leaves for long.
- Cut/trim the roots using a kitchen scissor or knife
- Inspect the whole bunch to check for damaged leaves and stems. Discard them
- Clean the coriander leaves in water to remove any dust
- Allow the extra water to drain off. To do so, you can leave it on a strainer
- Ensure that the coriander stems have uniform height, you can cut off longer stems
- Fill a glass with 2 inch water and put the coriander leaves/stems in it one by one
- Make sure that the stems touch the bottom of the glass
- Take a soft plastic bag/packet and put it over the glass, keeping a small opening
- Keep this in the fridge
Note
Do remember the following points with this method of storing the coriander for a longer duration.
Firstly, when putting the plastic bag over the glass and coriander leaves, make sure that you are gentle. Do not press it hard. It will damage the leaves and stems and cause decay.
Secondly, change the water every 4-5 days. The new water should be in room temperature. Avoid hot or cold water. Tap water works best!
The Result – Proof that You Can Store Your Coriander Leaves for Long
The pictures that I have clicked recently should do all the talking.
Now that you know that it is possible to store coriander leaves for long, what are you waiting for? Hurry up, grab your bunch and follow this blog step by step.
Do not forget to write to me and share your experience. Do you know of an easier way to keep your coriander leaves fresh? Share with me and I shall happily share it with my readers.