A Refreshing Cilantro & Mint Chutney

Indian Style Mint & Cilantro Chutney

Growing up, my mom and aunts would make this AMAZING cilantro and mint chutney that I would eat by the spoon full (when they weren’t looking =), and most of all I loved to eat it was these Indian crackers called Mathari.  I couldn’t…and still can’t…get enough of it!

Well, we had a lot of cilantro and mint from our garden, so I decided to take the plunge and try to make it myself!  I got the recipe from my aunt and finally made it!  So thought I’d share:

Ingredients (i’m giving approximate amounts, but a lot of this is to taste):

2 bunches of cilantro (take off the thick stems)

1/2 bunch of mint (leaves only)

1-2 jalapenos (depending on how hot you like it)

1 green (i.e. super raw) mango – if you have it

lemon or lime juice (about 1/4 cup)

black salt (to taste, probably 2-3 teaspoons)

regular salt (to taste, probably ~1 teaspoon)

cumin powder (to taste, about 1-2 tablespoons)

handful of cashews to thicken it (if you have them – not necessary)

Yummy cilantro, with the thick stems removed.  Small stems are ok.

Mint…leaves only.

Instructions:

Throw everything into a blender and blend away!  They key is to start of slowly, and then speed up.  You may need to add a little bit of water so there is enough liquid to get the blender going.  The rest of the liquid will come from the lemon juice – so just keep adding them to taste.  The end taste of the chutney is supposed to be pretty tart.  I think for the amount of cilantro and mint I wrote above, I would probably use about 1/4 cup lemon juice and a fair amount of black salt.

And then enjoy!!!!

Eat it with crackers, or eggs (it is GREAT on an omelet), or a veggie sandwhich.

Have fun!