Gone are the days when the only fresh herb you were likely to see on Australian dinner plates was a garnish of curly parsley. Now we count coriander as a trolley favourite and parsley is used in dishes rather than just on them. This spring, let flavoursome fresh herbs inspire your cooking. Used widely in many cuisines, herbs add interest to dishes as simple as scrambled eggs or as complex as curries and restaurant-style sauces. Use them to create depth of flavour in everyday meals. Here's a guide that has all the tips you need for cooking with herbs.

Basil
Blend the slightly spicy aromatic leaves with olive oil, pine nuts and parmesan to make pesto. Use whole basil leaves to top a tomato bruschetta, or tear and add to tomato-based pasta sauces.

Chives
Chop, then sprinkle this mild onion-flavoured herb over dips, fish, chicken and salads. Add chopped chives to omelettes and scrambled eggs. This herb is best added at the end of cooking.  

Continental parsley
Also called flat-leaf or Italian parsley, it is milder than curly parsley. Chop leaves and use in tabouli, gremolata or salsa verde. Use the strong-tasting stems to add great flavour to stocks.

Coriander
Use the stems and leaves of this herb in Asian and Middle Eastern inspired dishes. Chop the stems and add to Thai-style curry pastes. Sprinkle the leaves over spicy chicken and seafood dishes.

Curly parsley
Combine with mayonnaise, then stir through a potato salad. Finely chop, then add to a lemon butter sauce. Drizzle over fish or chicken. Use as a retro garnish, especially for dishes that feature eggs.

Curry leaves
Fry the spicy-flavoured leaves with Indian spices and add to curries. Grind the leaves and add to curry pastes. Team the leaves with prawns, lentils, potatoes and fish.

Dill
Add the feathery leaves, with a subtle anise aroma, to a New York style smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. Use dill to add flavour to dishes that feature egg, potato and fish, such as gravlax.

Source:www.wikipedia.com