Saturday, June 11, 2011

CILANTRO AND COCONUT CHUTNEY


A delicious chutney from India. Cilantro and coconut. And spices, of course. Perfect to go with Indian curries. And very easy to prepare. Let’s make it.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
3 cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 inch cinnamon stick
8 black peppercorns
1 dried chili (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 coconut
Some water
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Some vegetable oil
Some salt
Some sugar
A bit of butter

First we will prepare some spices. To do this, in a mortar grind the cumin, the fennel, the cloves, the turmeric, the pepper corns and the cinnamon stick. If you want, you can add a dried chili. I do not like my chutney to be hot, but some people love it like that. It is up to you.
The next thing is preparing the coconut and the cilantro. As for the coconut, you will have to open it, remove the liquid, and keep the pulp. Break it in little pieces and reserve. I know, I know. Sometimes it is hard to do this. If you want, you can also buy frozen coconut. It is very convenient because you can find it frozen in little pieces.
Preparing the cilantro is the next thing. You have to discard the stems and keep the leaves.
Once you have the coconut and the cilantro ready, put them in a food processor. Blend it properly. Add the garlic and ginger too. If you need it, add some water. But do this little by little. Too much water is not good for our chutney. Add the spices at the last moment and blend well.
The next step is heating some vegetable oil in a pan. Use very little. Then, heat the black mustard seeds. Do not let them burn. Add the blender contents and cook slowly for some minutes. If you need it, add some water little by little. At the last moment add the butter. When everything is well mixed, add some sugar and/or salt to your taste.
And then you will have your chutney ready. It is better to let it cold and serve it with your favorite food. Enjoy!