Cilantro and mint chutney (also known as “Hari”) is a spicy, a little sweet and very refreshing chutney, which is for a dip or sauce. Green chutney, which is based on cilantro with or without mint, is one of the most common chutneys in Indian dishes and especially in Chaats. Chaat is a snack based on some fried dough with vegetables, spices and sometimes yogurt which is served with various chutneys.

This chutney can be served with various chaat dishes, spread on a sandwitch or served with some meat or fish.

Ingredients (for about 1 cup of chutney)

• 1 packed cup cilantro leaves
• 1 packed cup mint leaves
• 2 tbs green chilli
• 1.5 cm (0.5 inch) ginger
• 2 tbs sugar
• a little bit of garlic or a pinch of Asafetida powder
• up to 3 tbs of water

Directions

Blend all the ingredients, add water gradually. The consistency should be pretty thin, like a dip. Don’t forget to adjust the taste! the final result should be very spicy and just a little sweet.

Comments and suggestions

Cilantro. It’s possible to be lazy and include also the cilantro stems but the chutney will be less uniform.

How to store it? The chutney is best when fresh but can be kept in the fridge for a few days, up to a week. It is better to cover it with a little bit of oil above the chutney before storing it in the fridge, this will seal it and keep it from getting spoiled. It is also possible to freeze the chutney in an ice cubes tray and defrost the cubes when needed.

Asafetida?! Hing powder, or Asafetida is a weird and smelly powder which is used in Indian cooking as a subsitute for onion or garlic. In some parts of India people don’t put garlic or onion in their food for religious or cultural reasons and so Asafetida is used in almost every dish. You can find Asafetida in Indian grocery shops.