Classic Thai Soups Make a Case for Cilantro Roots

Use the overlooked roots to make an aromatic Thai stock, your gateway to homemade tom yum and beyond

Tom yum, a classic hot and sour Thai soup. Natalia Lisovskaya/Shutterstock

Every inch of the cilantro plant is edible, but the seeds (aka coriander) and leaves get most of the attention.

At the farmers market the other day, I spotted a bunch of cilantro with the roots still attached. I brought a bunch of those intact plants home and ate the leaves in tacos that very night.