Make Green Magic with Cilantro Mint Chutney

Each person reads cookbooks differently, for different reasons. Some people look at pictures first for inspiration. I start from the beginning, reading the introduction and then head to the chapter of staples to see what I can make using ingredients already in my kitchen. The best recipes in a cookbook are often tucked into the pantry chapter. Plus, if I can make one, two or three items from an author’s pantry, then I have the basics for trying other recipes in their cookbook. I’m looking for keepers to add to my repertoire. This time around, I was thinking of an easy piquant green sauce. People adore chimichurri, salsa verde, and zhug. Surely Asia has something to contribute.

That’s how I came upon this cilantro mint chutney in Mumbai Modern by Amisha Dodhia Gurbani. Gurbani’s debut cookbook attracted me for a few reasons: It’s vegetarian, and though I’m not vegetarian, I adore Indian approaches to spotlighting plant-centric foods. The dishes are always flavor packed and intriguingly layered. India has long had a presence in southern Vietnam, too. There are Viet-Indian spice vendors in Saigon. Vietnamese curry is based upon a Madras-style blend of spices, not a heady paste of aromatics like those of Thailand. The cuisines share many similar ingredients.

Bridging Geography and Generations

Gurbani’s culinary journey started in Gujarat on the western coast of India and then settled in California. She attended my alma mater, the University of Southern California, to earn a master’s degree in computer science. Now living in northern California with her family, she blogs at Jam Lab. Unbeknownst to me until I read Mumbai Modern, there is a neighborhood in Mumbai named Santa Cruz. It’s not inspired by Surf City where I now reside, but has roots in the Portuguese term for “Holy Cross”. But what a coincidence. Moreover, Gurbani mentions Santa Cruz several times as a source of good food. (It's hard for me to say the same about where I live, but I became extra interested.)

For decades, Asian food and cookbooks reflected recipes and the longing of exiles. I’ve always had roots in both worlds because I wasn’t born in the U.S., but have lived here for most of my life. When Gurbani was 22, she came to America, so her understanding of her native country was well established. She traveled back and forth to India to visit family, especially to care for her mother who passed away before Mumbai Modern was published. The book in many ways is Gurbani’s ode to lessons learned from her mother and other women. There's a beauty in having that much grounded experience.

Traditional Roots and Modern Riffs

Traditional recipes such as Pudla (chickpea flour crepes), Daal Dhokli (a fragrant stew with thick homemade noodles), Bateta Nu Shaak (a classic potato curry), and Bombay Sandwich (a grilled wonder with the zippy cilantro chutney, potato, beets, cheese and other ingredients) informed my dive into Gujarat cooking and culture. That said, inventive ideas such as Masala Chai Tiramisu, Samosa Tart, plus an Ultimate Mumbai-California Veggie Burger offered a peek inside Gurbani’s creativity, and her efforts to offer culinary bridges for her readers and children. The lengthy headnotes are worth reading for cultural context.

Some Mumbai Modern recipes are very involved but many are easy, such as this cilantro and mint chutney, which enabled me to use up a bunch of cilantro accidentally purchased from the farmer’s market. It was also an excuse to trim a pot of mint and spur new growth. The chutney took little time to make. It lent a blast of flavor to awaken the senses and create a craveable eating experience.

Cilantro Mint Chutney Tips

Before you make the chutney, some notes for your consideration. In the chutney recipe, Gurbani offers weight measurements, which are super handy because you can closely match her flavor outcomes. My digital scale is one of the most often used appliances in my kitchen! (The OXO scale is what I use but do remember to turn it off after using because it stays on for a long time.) 

Wash and pat, roll or spin the herbs dry before using them. Taking that step means you’ll have more intense flavors. You can always add water at the end to thin out the chutney. And what about the peanuts? They help to enrich and thicken the chutney. My Green Chutney with cilantro and mint chutney in Asian Dumplings is bright and zingy. I didn’t know about the nutty addition, but it helps to round things out nicely. Don’t like peanuts? Try cashews. A tablespoon of tahini with 1 tablespoon of water would do too. If you question the quantity of cumin, it does not overwhelm. Cumin, such as Afghani Wild Mountain Cumin from Burlap and Barrel, has a slightly sweet, delicate finish.

Cilantro Mint Chutney Serving Ideas

Aside from using the chutney for many recipes in Mumbai Modern, I served it with the grilled slashed chicken from Vietnamese Food Any Day. (The lemongrass salmon from the book would be splendid too.) Pan-fried tofu goes well with the chutney. I've smeared the chutney into a quesadilla and mixed it into cubes of beets and feta.

The warmer months are when cilantro is at its best. I’ve got this Mumbai Modern recipe in my back pocket to capture the season well. It freezes well, Gurbani says, so go for it. You can do a lot with this chutney.

Related Recipes

Use this chutney for a Bombay Sandwich, a grilled vegetarian wonder.

Print Recipe

Cilantro Mint Chutney

Super easy to make and delicious, this chutney recipe was slightly adapted from Amisha Dodhia Gurbani’s Mumbai Modern (Countryman Press, 2021). Enjoy at room temperature with grilled, fried, roasted foods, or anything that needs a bright contrasting flavor boost. Makes about ⅔ cup.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: chutney, cilantro, mint

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups 62g packed cilantro (including stems)
• ½ cup 13g packed fresh mint leaves
• ¼ cup 60g water
• 2 tablespoons 30g fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons 18g unsalted, roasted peanuts
• 2 teaspoons 8g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon 6g cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon 6g fine sea salt
• 2 garlic cloves 6g
• 1 serrano chile or 2 small green chiles (remove seeds for less heat)

Instructions

• Put all the ingredients in a blender jar. Whirl into a smoothish mixture, pausing several times to scrape the sides or push ingredients down. Add up to 1 tablespoon water if the mixture is too thick for your liking.
• Transfer to a small bowl or jar. Use immediately, keep refrigerated for several days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Notes

The green color dulls a tad as the chutney sits. Add ⅛ teaspoon baking soda to the blender or stir it in afterwards to preserve more of the vibrancy. – Andrea

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