To cut cilantro for rice, remove the leaves from the stems and discard the stems. You can also add a little bit of the tender stems. Rinse the leaves thoroughly and pat them dry with a paper towel. Then, stack the leaves on top of each other and roll them tightly into a cylinder shape. Use a sharp knife to slice the cylinder crosswise into thin strips. These strips can then be chopped further into smaller pieces or left as is to sprinkle over the rice.