1. There is really nothing spectacular about coriander chutney. I mean every Indian kitchen worth it’s salt must have its own version. But my MIL’s coriander chutney was something else. Like so much else that’s Gujju, this was also simultaneously sweet, spicy, tangy and of course coriander-y.
2. A Gujju friend specifically asked how its made!
So here goes, in very approximate terms as usual*:
A generous fistful of coriander/ dhania/ kothmir, well washed, stems separated (1 1/2 cups if I must be more specific)
5-10 stems of mint/ pudina (measuring less than half a cup of the leaves)
3 tbsp of raw groundnuts/ peanuts
1 heaped tsp sesame
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds/ jeera
2 large green chillis (our chillis are about 3 inches long, so that’s what I mean by large)
A table tennis ball sized piece of jaggery
Juice of 1 lemon (our lemons are a bit more than 1 inch across)
A small bell pepper/ capsicum/ simla mirch (optional)
Salt to taste
Grind the cumin/ jeera, raw groundnut, sesame, chillis, jaggery, lemon juice and bell pepper/ simla mirch. When almost ground, add the coriander and mint leaves and grind till fine. Check sweet, chilli, and all other flavour levels and add whatever else suits your fancy.
It keeps refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Note: My MIL says a bit of green garlic (fresh garlic) also goes well in this chutney. And she adds that that quality of the chutney depends entirely on very good quality ingredients.
* You can check quantities of the ingredients in the pics. We added all you see there.
