Culantro.

Culantro, phak chi farang in Thai, looks nothing like coriander. The leaves are long, flat and stiff, with small saw-toothed edges. Rub one between your fingers, though, and the smell is coriander, only stronger and deeper. It holds up to heat better than coriander does, so it can go into a hot soup without going limp at once. In Thai cooking it sits beside mint and spring onion on top of larb and nam tok, and in a bowl of tom yum.

Ways to use it

• Slice thinly across the leaf and toss into larb or nam tok with mint and shallot.
• Tear a few leaves into tom yum or a sour soup just before serving.
• Put whole leaves on the plate of fresh greens beside som tam or grilled meat.
• Chop finely into jaew, the dried chilli dipping sauce of the northeast.
• Add to a bowl of noodle soup with bean sprouts and basil.

Cutting across the leaf in thin strips releases more smell than tearing it.

Storing it

Keep the leaves in a bag in the fridge drawer, or stand the stems in a glass with a little water. They keep their shape for a few days, longer than coriander. Wash them just before use, since soil collects at the base of the leaves.

Where it comes from

Grown to certified organic standards. The certificate for each lot is shown when you trace your pack.

Every pack will carry a lot code. Enter it on the Trace your pack page and you will see the farms in that lot, the harvest date and the certificate.