There are many variations to your basic chutney, a spicy fresh condiment that we use as a dipping sauce for savory snacks such as samosas, pakoras, and even crackers. I like this zippy variation, among others, and its uses range way beyond the condiment stage. I myself have a couple of variations to this classic sauce. For a lot of the condiments, I like to use black salt for a couple of reasons. I like the addictive taste of black salt combined with lime or tart mango powder. I also like the fact that natural salts like black salt do not have any sodium and are rich in minerals.

Mint and Cilantro Chutney With Ginger [Vegan]

Serves

1/2 cup

Cooking Time

20

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves (leaves and tender stems)
  • 3 green chilies
  • ½ teaspoon black salt
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • ½ inch peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ coriander seeds

Preparation

  1. Place about ⅓ of the cilantro and mint in the blender with the lime juice and process to a puree.
  2. Add the chilies, ginger, cumin and coriander and process into a smooth paste. This will take about 3 minutes and will need a combination of pulsing and blending actions to make sure that the spices are ground until smooth.
  3. Add in the remaining herbs in batches and continue grinding until smooth. The key is to try to get a relatively thick and pasty chutney and this cannot be accomplished by adding all the ingredients together at the same time.


About The Author

Rinku Bhattacharya

See My Recipes

Rinku Bhattacharya is a creative Indian cooking teacher and writer, who began teaching Indian cooking almost a decade ago, to share the culture and home flavors of her native country, India.  Passionate about a conscious lifestyle and seasonal living, she shares her recipes on her blog Spice Chronicles. Rinku has published two cookbooks; The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles," which was the winner of the 2013 Gourmand Awards for Best Indian Cuisine cookbook, and "Spices and Seasons, Simple, Sustainable Indian Flavors", which offers recipes inspired by the local bounty of the Hudson Valley. The book also offers tips and ideas on creating a green kitchen and reducing your food footprint!

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