A Hint of Spice

Chutney is a word incorporated into English from Hindi,describing a pasty sauce in Indian Cuisine.Chutneys usually are wet, having a coarse to fine texture. In the past,chutneys were made using stone mortar and pestle.Nowadays, electric blenders replace the stone implements. Various spices are added and ground, usually in a particular order.
Chutneys come in two major groups, sweet and hot; both forms usually contain various spices, including chili, but differ by their main flavour.The Various types of chutney are-

1.Coriander(Cilantro)
2.Mint (Usually Coriander and Pudina Chutneys are also referred to as Hari(in Hindi Hari means Green) Chutney)
3.Tamarind Chutney(Imli Chutney,also referred as Meethi Chutney as in Hindi Meethi means Sweet)
4. Coconut Chutney
5.Prune Chutney
6.Tomato Chutney
7.Red Chili Chutney
8.Green Chili Chutney
9.Mango Chutney(made from raw ,green mangoes)
10.Cilantro Mint Coconut chutney
11.Tomato Onion chutney
12.Peanut chutney
13.Garlic Chutney
       to name a few
American and European styled chutneys are usually fruit, vinegar and sugar, cooked down to a reduction.
Flavorings are always added to the mix. These may include sugar, salt, garlic, tamarind, onion, or ginger.
Spices most commonly include fenugreek, coriander, cumin and asafoetida.

small piece of ginger
1 -2 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds
lime/lemon juice as per taste
salt per taste
1 -2 green chilies as per taste
1 tbsp unsalted peanuts

Directions
1.Wash the cilantro leaves very well and place the cilantro leaves,chopped onion,ginger,chilies and unsalted peanuts in a blender and blend until smooth,adding a little water if necessary.
2.When a fine paste is formed add the seasonings and lemon juice,adjusting seasonings if necessary.
3.Eat this with Indian food (including as a dip for poppadom), use as a condiment for roasted or smoked meats and poultry, serve with grilled foods, including fish.
'njoy!!!

Tips:-
1.You can store the chutney in the refrigerator for a week and it retains the same fresh green color.
2.If you want to make chutney in bulk and freeze it there are two ways to go around it.
     (a) Make the paste as written in step 1 and instead of adding water ,add vegetable oil to blend the  cilantro.Also do not add salt and lemon juice.Store the paste in an airtight container in the freezer and whenever you need it,just add the required amount of lemon juice and salt.
     (b) The second method....which is tried and tested more often than I care to admit .This trick was shared by my friend Sonal.Make green Chutney the way suggested above.Keep as much as you require for use for a week or so in an airtight container in refrigerator,For the rest-spread the chutney inside a Ziploc freezer bag and put the freezer bag vertically in the freezer ,till the chutney freezes.When you are ready to use the frozen chutney,open the Ziploc bag  and the frozen chutney can be snapped just like chips.Let it thaw at room temperature or if in hurry,thaw it in microwave for few seconds.