Mint Chutney and Mint Dip

                                                            Mint Chutney and Mint Dip

Mint and Coriander Chutney

A perfect dip for poppadum’s, samosas, onion bhajji or pakoras etc.

My friends love Indian food and one of the reasons they look forward to going to a Indian restaurant (apart from describing it as exotic) is poppadum’s, Yes poppadum’s. One of my friends loves it so much she says she could have it for dinner and I won’t blame her for that because once you start you won’t be able to stop. That said, a few years ago I had no idea what poppadum is and that’s because all my life I have called it Papad, most famously served as masala papads in India.  However I love poppadum’s, love the idea of dipping it in the mint chutney, throwing some onions on it and of course some mango or lemon pickle. And if you are bored of serving tortilla chips in your party then try this and it will be an instant hit. You can buy poppadum’s at your local Indian grocery store or even at super markets.

  So let’s get started, before making the mint dip for the poppadum’s let’s make the mint and coriander chutney. Mint chutney is so versatile you can use it as a sandwich spread ( Bombay sandwich coming soon ;)) or can be added to a chaat ( also coming up cholle tikki chaat) or  to marinate your chicken the options are endless.  It is so easy to make all you need is the ingredients and a blender,

Ingredients:

Makes 1 cup chutney.

For Mint Chutney:

15-16 Mint leaves

1/4^th cup coriander ( or half a bunch)

2 tbsp. grated coconut

2 cloves of Garlic

About a inch of  ginger

1 tbsp. tamarind

1 green chilly ( remove seeds if you would like a mild chutney)

Juice of  half a lemon

Salt to taste

Cumin powder – 1 tsp.

For the Mint Dip (for poppadum’s):

Yoghurt – 2 dessert spoons

Sugar- as per taste

If using whole tamarind soak it in a table spoon of water, use a strainer to get rid of fibres and seeds. You don’t need to do this if you are using tamarind paste.

Next add all the ingredients to a blender and blend to a fine paste. Season with  more lemon  and salt  if required, transfer to a glass jar or air tight container.

To make mint dip, to  one dessert spoon of mint chutney add a dessert spoon of yoghurt and sugar ( as per taste. I use half tsp. of sugar although add less to start  with and add more if required after tasting.)

Mix well and its ready to serve.

   

Serve it  up with some poppadums or samosa/ pakora or  with some salmon, hope you enjoy it !