Combination of tangy, sourness in tamarind, salt, jaggery sweetness and chillies neutralizes bitterness in mint making mint chutney a crowd pleasing dish.
Author: Ujwala Chintala
Recipe type: Chutney
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2 cups - mint (Pudina)
2 cups - cilantro (fresh coriander)
1 tbsp - coriander seeds
⅛th tsp - methi seeds (fenugreek) - optional
8 red or green chillies (Different types of chillies have different heat. Use accordingly)
2 tbsp - sesame seeds (nuvvulu)
1 tbsp - tamarind
¼th tsp grated jaggery or brown sugar
3-5 garlic pods - optional
¼ tsp - cumin
⅛th tsp - black mustard seeds
¼ tsp - urad dal
6-8 curry leaves
⅛th tsp - turmeric powder
1 tbsp - Oil (Preferably coconut)
Salt
Instructions
Soak tamarind.
Roast sesame, coriander and methi seeds. If using red chillies, roast them separately. Keep aside to cool down.
Wash mint, remove stems. Cut leaves. Wash cilantro and cut. I didn't remove stems for cilantro. Cilantro stems are soft and cooks well.
In a pan, add 1 tbsp oil, heat to medium.
Add mint, cilantro, garlic and green chillies. Stir occasionally. Add salt after 2 minutes. Fry for 10 minutes or till soft.
Squeeze tamarind juice in a bowl. Discard pulp and seeds.
In a blender grind dry ingredients (Sesame, coriander, chillies and methi seeds) first. When they are done, add fried mint, cilantro, tamarind juice and jaggery. Grind till paste. You don't need water. Turn off blender and stir to grind all sides. If mixture is too thick, add little by little water. Reuse remaining tamarind water. Add to a bowl.
In a small pot, add 1 tbsp oil. Heat to medium.
Add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add cumin.
Add urad dal, fry for 1 minute till they are golden brown.
Add curry leaves. When leaves stop spluttering, add turmeric powder.
Add this hot oil tampering to ground mint mixture. Mix well.
Serve with quinoa or brown rice and ghee.
Recipe by Ujwala's Delicacies at https://www.ujwalasdelicacies.com/authentic-south-indian-mint-cilantro-chutney/