Green Coriander & Mint Chutney, is a fresh herb chutney made with fresh green coriander and mint leaves. Its taste is further enhanced with the addition of green chilli, onion, tomato, garlic or ginger and the sourness is due to fresh lemon juice. The recipe for the green chutney may vary from household to household, but everyone relishes it with their food.

This chutney is a favourite accompaniment with most street foods of North India. It is a quick, simple and inexpensive way of adding an element of taste to everyday food. It is also the favourite condiment that accompanies snacks, either fried, steamed or sautéed in most homes.

Chutney is a family of condiments mainly associated with South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice, vegetable, and/or fruit. Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and can have a coarse to a fine texture. Several Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only.

As such Chutney covers a wide variety of foodstuffs. The common element which makes them all ‘chutneys’ is that they are eaten with meals to add flavour. The best English translation of chutney is relish. ~ Wikipedia

Anita Kumari left her home in Jharkhand about 9 years ago to come to Delhi for work. She loves cooking. She has the gift to cook delicious meals and serves them with love. She has a whole family back home whom she supports but enjoys her stay in Delhi.

She has become independent, tech. savvy and proudly dresses up to go out. Her recipe for Green Coriander & Mint Chutney is one which she has formulated on her own, trying to remember the taste of the chutney her mother made back in the village. It is much loved by all and even taken frozen overseas by the children of the family she works for.

Fresh green coriander as a herb, is a wonderful source of dietary fibre and is good for digestive system –

~ as it promotes liver function and bowel movements.

~ contains high levels of iron, essential for curing anaemia.

~ helps in increasing the levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and
lowers bad cholesterol (LDL).

~ it stimulates insulin secretion and helps lower blood sugar levels, therefore eating it is good for patients suffering from diabetes.

~ contains anti-inflammatory properties and helps against inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

~ its anti-septic properties help cure mouth ulcers.

~ it contains vitamin K and is good for the treatment of Alzheimer’s as it helps stimulate the memory.

~ antioxidants in fresh coriander help prevent eye diseases.
~ coriander seeds are good for menstrual flow.

Apart from its culinary uses, fresh mint leaves have many health benefits.  This delicious and fragrant herb possesses several vitamins and minerals that our body needs to function and helps increase our general immunity.

~ helps to stimulate the salivary glands and trigger the glands responsible for increased bile secretions that aid in faster digestion. It also relieves intestinal muscle spasms.

~ it has anaesthetic and anti-inflammatory qualities that help elevate nausea, dizziness and headache.

~ inhaling steam with the aroma of the mint can help decongest a clogged nose and help with the irritation caused by incessant coughing.

~ chewing on fresh mint leaves helps in alleviating pain caused by toothaches as it has antiseptic properties that treat infections.

~ it has antiseptic and antibacterial properties which effectively relieve itching and irritation and is a good and natural way to prevent dandruff and head lice.

~ inhaling the vapor of boiled mint leaves or its essential oil causes a sudden increase in pulse rate and blood circulation which helps to increase metabolism.

~ its astringent effect also helps shrink skin pores and invigorates the skin.

~ it acts as a trigger for our digestive enzymes to absorb food nutrients quickly and convert them into usable energy.

~ it contains vitamin C, a potent immunity booster, which our bodies require to combat common ailments.

Anita uses fresh green coriander and mint as the main ingredients to which she adds a tomato to give flavour. She uses the onion to give bulk to the chutney and the addition of green chilli is to your taste. The smaller ones are very spicy so 1 to 1 1/2 will do, whereas those bigger in size can be less sharp and you may need to add 2.

To round up the flavours, she adds lemon juice for sourness. Indian lemons are the size of golf balls or smaller, hence the use of three lemons. This again is to your personal taste. You can add half a teaspoon of sugar to give it a sweet, sour and spicy flavour.

Green Coriander & Mint Chutney

Fresh Cilantro & Mint Salsa

Ingredients ~

200 gms fresh green coriander
50 gms fresh green mint
½ fresh tomato
1 small red onion
2 green chillies
1 clove garlic
3 lemons, juice
½ tsp salt or to taste

Method ~

1. Wash the coriander and mint leaves well.
2. Pick the mint leaves from the stems.
3. Peel the onion and chop fine.
4. Chop the coriander, mint, tomato, green chillies and clove of garlic.
5. Add all the ingredients in a blender. Add the salt and the lemon juice.
6. Blend till fine. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

~ The chutney should have a balanced flavour of chilli, salt, sourness and a hint of garlic.