Coriander-Mint Chutney

There are tons of variations of this green chutney that I found on the net.

I particularly liked vahchef's green chutney post as it gives 3 different types of green chutneys that you can use. It doesnt involve onions in the basic paste. 

Also in Sanjeev Kapoor's post, I saw that the ratio of coriander to mint leaves is 2:1 (2 portions of coriander leaves to 1 portion of mint leaves), whereas in vahchef's post, its the exact opposite. I tried the Sanjeev Kapoor ratio as I feel coriander leaves are more mild and mint leaves are more strong, hence a little amount of mint will be sufficient. Also I do not have pomegranate seeds (dry or fresh), but as the purpose is to add a bit of sweet and tanginess to it, I already have the tamarind-date sweet chutney prepared and stored in the fridge. So I will be using couple of tablespoons from that. Another time I prepared it, I added a teaspoon of sugar.

Vahchef:


Sanjeev Kapoor:


Also in Showmethecurry's Coriander chutney post, I saw that adding a few drops of oil to the chutney helps in increasing the shelf life of the chutney. (they intended to freeze it, but I'm deciding to just chill it in the top shelf of the refrigerator)
Showmethecurry:


So in the end, this is what I did and it turned out just awesome!

Ingredients:

Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2 long ones (turned out to be quite hot so can change it to one next time)
Ginger - about 2-3 inch long piece
Garlic - 5 cloves
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch (2 portions)
Mint leaves - 1 bunch (1 portion)

Sweet tamarind-date chutney - 3 tbsp / Sugar - tsp / Dry pomegranate seeds - 2 tsp

Salt - a pinch
Lime juice - half a lime
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Blend all ingredients in a chutney grinder (mixer) except for oil and lime juice. You might have to open it, mix it up a bit and blend again. This process may have to be repeated about 5-6 times till you get a nice green paste. Better to fill the mixer jar upto half with the leaves first, and then slowly add the remaining leaves. Then squeeze half a lime into it and you can serve it as it is if using now. If you plan to store it in the refrigerator, add a teaspoon of oil (vegetable/canola/sunflower/palm) to it and mix well. Store in an air tight container.

Today, I served it with aloo tikki and sweet chutney along with paav. :) So sort of like a vada paav minus bhel and butter. It was an appetizer as dinner is going to take some more time.

When you make kababs or biryani and want a nice dip with it? Add 2-3 tablespoons of yoghurt to the chutney as per your liking and serve.

Tonight's dinner: Steamed rice, tomato sambar, fried pomfret smeared with the green chutney paste, mango ginger pickle and some curd with extra green chutney on the side :) yum!!