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This is the most refreshing tasting chutney I know. I tend to think of this more as a dip. There is no spice, no oil and no cooking involved. It is made from fresh ingredients whizzed up in a blender. Clean tasting, slightly tangy from the lemon juice. It is a guilt free dip.
I can prepare the minty chutney up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerate it. If I know my dinner menu is going to require me to spend more time in the kitchen, I simplify my pre-dinner snacks further.
I do not serve vadais with the mint chutney. Instead, when my guests arrive, I snip open a bag of tortilla chips. I can tell from the looks on their faces that everyone is more than pleased to not have to face yet another salsa, avocado or dairy based dip and they are quite enthralled by the more than pleasant mint chutney.
MINT CHUTNEY
Prep: | 15 minutes |
Cook:
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Inactive:
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Level:
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Easy
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Serves:
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4 to 6 as a dip
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Oven Temperature:
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-
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Can recipe be doubled?
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Yes
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Make ahead?
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Yes, 6 hours ahead. Place plastic wrap directly over to touch the mint chutney. This helps delay oxidisation and maintain the vibrant green colour.
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Ingredients
1/2 cup cleaned, tightly packed mint leaves
1/4 cup cleaned, tightly packed cilantro/coriander leaves and young stems
1 green chilli seeds removed, cut into big chunks.
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons roughly diced purple onions
I use purple onions as these are often the onion of choice to be used in Indian cooking.
1/2 teaspoon roughly diced ginger
1/2 teaspoon roughly diced garlic
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, depending on how tangy you would like the mint dip
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 water
This amount of water makes a runny dip which is the way I serve it. Cut down on the water to between 1/8 and 1/4 cup if you like it thicker.
Directions
Add all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust salt to taste. That's it. Serve.
Tips
How else to serve mint chutney?
Dosas (thosais) are huge, thin, crispy, eggless pancakes made from ground rice and urud dal also known as black gram/lentils and sometimes labelled as white lentils. I cannot make these. I frequent my favourite Indian restaurant every weekend if not every other weekend to have them. Can you tell I like Indian food?
Samosas are fried triangular shaped, savoury dumplings! I doubt anyone else will call them that though. The fillings could be all vegetarian, think fried onions, potatoes, peas with spices. Meat, more often lamb, could be added into the filling as well.
Mathris are to put it simply, fried savoury crispy crackers with spices in them. You can purchase them rather easily from Indian grocery stores.
How else to serve mint chutney?
- It is traditionally served with Indian food and snacks like vadais, pakoras, dosas(thosais), samosas, mathris to name but a few examples
Dosas (thosais) are huge, thin, crispy, eggless pancakes made from ground rice and urud dal also known as black gram/lentils and sometimes labelled as white lentils. I cannot make these. I frequent my favourite Indian restaurant every weekend if not every other weekend to have them. Can you tell I like Indian food?
Samosas are fried triangular shaped, savoury dumplings! I doubt anyone else will call them that though. The fillings could be all vegetarian, think fried onions, potatoes, peas with spices. Meat, more often lamb, could be added into the filling as well.
Mathris are to put it simply, fried savoury crispy crackers with spices in them. You can purchase them rather easily from Indian grocery stores.
- With tortilla chips
It is very good with tortilla chips. Tortilla chips are rather neutral tasting chips. Moreover, the chips are the right thickness and comes with the right crunch. It is the chip that goes with almost any dip.
Mint chutney does not pair off well with the more 'earthy' vegetable chips like parsnips, beetroot, sweet potatoes, yam and tapioca. The flavours clash. Go ahead and try them though and decide if you like them yourself.
Mint chutney does not pair off well with the more 'earthy' vegetable chips like parsnips, beetroot, sweet potatoes, yam and tapioca. The flavours clash. Go ahead and try them though and decide if you like them yourself.
Did you notice I did not mention potato chips? For me, potato chips and dips don't get along. They are too brittle and taste best as a potato chip.
- As a mint sauce over grilled baby lamb chops
Lamb is something I do not eat often but if I have this mint chutney on hand, I will quite happily eat lamb.
To the back of the lamb chops is mashed potato with kale. I had blanched, cooled the kale in an ice bath and drained it well before working it in with potatoes, milk, butter, Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Not only does the kale mashed potatoes tastes good and go well with mint lamb chops, it also makes a convenient two in one carbohydrate and vegetable dish.
To the back of the lamb chops is mashed potato with kale. I had blanched, cooled the kale in an ice bath and drained it well before working it in with potatoes, milk, butter, Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Not only does the kale mashed potatoes tastes good and go well with mint lamb chops, it also makes a convenient two in one carbohydrate and vegetable dish.
- As a sandwich spread
I find this a bit odd but the lovely Indian lady from Delhi who introduced me to Indian cooking did exactly this and apparently it is quite the norm where she comes from. I use up any leftover mint chutneys on tortilla chips and baby lamb chops so I have yet to try this but I am quite sure it must be lovely in a lamb or maybe a turkey sandwich.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT?
In my Vadai, Gluten Free Savoury Snack post, I mentioned that I used to make this rather nice Tomato Chutney many years ago but quite forgot how to make it. Since that post, I have been mulling over whether I could recreate the recipe and if it would be worth posting.
I did manage to recreate the recipe and it is worth posting! I will be serving this at my next party! Will it be served with tortilla chips or vadais? It depends. I know it is good enough for me to eat it just as it is, with a spoon.
I did manage to recreate the recipe and it is worth posting! I will be serving this at my next party! Will it be served with tortilla chips or vadais? It depends. I know it is good enough for me to eat it just as it is, with a spoon.
Mint chutney is my fave.
ReplyDeleteYummy, yummy. Buy yourself some tortilla chips and dip away!
ReplyDelete