With big, bold, bright flavors, these 3 green chutneys each add freshness and zing to anything you are serving. Drizzle, dip, salsa, and drip to your heart's content.
Drizzle, Drip, & Dip
Chutney in India ranges from a fine powder for flavoring idlis, a dip for fried snacks, a drizzle for chaat and Indian-ish pizza, and a “salsa” for mixing with rice and whatever else you are eating. Essential to almost every Indian meal is a chutney or pickle or both, and coriander chutney is the master chutney. Green chutney brightens up samosas, pakoras, naan, kebabs, chaats, dosas, idlis, a sandwich, and anything else your little heart desires. Adding a couple of tablespoons of mint adds another element of freshness. Coconut, mustard seeds, and curry leaves swings this chutney to southern India.
Green Chutneys
I present to you three green chutneys: a basic daily accompaniment to any meal. A mint and coriander chutney, and a coconut laced south Indian version. I encourage you to play and develop your personal favorite. Other ingredients to consider mixing in: black salt, chaat masala, a pinch of ground cloves, peanuts, and more.
Given how quickly these chutneys come together, I hope you will take the time to make to treat yourself and make a chutney rather than purchase the bottled variety. It is so much better, and you won’t regret it.
Happy Cooking!
~ Alonna
See the Notes below before you cook.
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Green Chutney ~ 3 Easy Recipes
With big, bold, bright flavors, these 3 green chutneys each add freshness and zing to anything you are serving. Drizzle, dip, salsa, and drip to your heart's content.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 4kcal
Ingrediants
Everyday Green Chutney
- 2 cups cilantro leaves & tender stems ~ Firmly packed
- 1 small tomato ~ Or 1/4 cup of tomato purée or sauce; about
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon sea or table salt ~ To taste; substitutions
- 1 small green Indian chili ~ About 1/2 teaspoon; substitutions
- 1 teaspoon ginger ~ Grated, puréed or finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar ~ More to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice ~ To taste
Mint and cilantro chutney
- 2 cups cilantro leaves & tender stems ~ Firmly packed
- 2 cups fresh mint leaves ~ Firmly packed
- 1 teaspoon ginger ~ Grated, puréed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice ~ More to your taste; lime works as well
- 1 small green Indian chili ~ About 1/2 teaspoon; substitutions
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea or table salt ~ To your taste; substitutions
- 2 tablespoons water ~ Use as little as possible
South Indian Cilantro, Coconut, and Curry Leaf Chutney
Chutney
- 1 3/4 cup coconut ~ Fresh, frozen or for dried, see Notes below
- 2 small green Indian chilies ~ About 1 teaspoon; substitutions
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger ~ Grated, puréed or finely minced
- 6 curry leaves ~ Chopped; Buy
- 1/8 teaspoon sea or table salt ~ Or to taste; substitutions
- 1/4 cup water ~ More as needed
Tempering
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds ~ Yellow mustard seeds if a fine substitution
- 4 whole curry leaves ~ Buy and about
- 1 whole Kashmiri chil, optional ~ More to taste, substitutions
Instructions
Everyday Green Chutney
- Place all the chutney ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add a minimum of water, as needed, to allow the ingredients to blend. I find I usually need 2 tablespoons of water.
- Taste for salt, chili, and acid. This chutney will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week.
Mint and cilantro chutney
- Gather your ingredients.
- Wash and dry the herbs and coarsely chop.
- Add all the ingredients to a blender with a tablespoon of water. Add as little water as possible, but more as needed for processing.
- Blend to a smooth paste and taste for enough heat, lemon juice, and salt. You may also want to add some plain yogurt to round out the flavors a bit. Serve with anything.
- This recipe yields about a cup of chutney and it will keep well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. I find it freezes well, so feel free to save some of it for later.
South Indian Cilantro, Coconut, and Curry Leaf Chutney
Chutney
- Place all the ingredients for the chutney into a blender and process into a coarse paste. Add only enough water as needed for processing. Depending on how wet your coconut is, this may take anywhere from 3 to 6 tablespoons of water.
Tempering
- Heat oil is a small pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and sauté until they start to pop. About 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the curry leaves and whole chili, if using. Stir for 1 minute until oil is fragrant.
- Stir the tempering ingredients into the chutney and taste for salt and heat. Add a little ground Kashmiri chili or cayenne if needed. Serve with dosa, idli and anything else.
- The yield for this chutney is about 1 1/2 cups and it will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Use as little water as possible so that your final consistency won’t be watery
- As usual, if you want a little more spice, add Kashmiri ground chili or more green chilies.
- If your chutney is bitter, add more mint. You may also want to add some yogurt to round out the flavors a bit.
- I have found that my Ninja blender does not do well with small amounts, so I used a personal blender, such as a Bullet, which works well.
- To substitute dried coconut for fresh or frozen coconut, the rule of thumb is that 1 tablespoon dried coconut will equal 1.5 tablespoons of fresh. For the cilantro coconut chutney use 10.5 tablespoons of dried coconut. To rehydrate, pour warm water to cover the dried coconut generously and rub the coconut with your fingers for half a minute or so to hurry the absorption along. Cover the bowl and let sit for an hour. Drain and place on paper towels; squeeze out excess moisture and use as you wish.
- If you don't black lentils (urad dal), you can skip these ingredients, or replace them with a tablespoon or two of coarsely chopped peanuts. The toasted dals add texture and a little flavor to the chutney.
- Substitution for tamarind paste: An equal amount of pomegranate molasses OR an equal amount of lemon or lime juice + a bit of sugar
- You can freeze any of these green chutneys if you have more than you can consume within a week.
Nutrition
Calories: 4kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 146mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
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