Coriander-Mint-Raw Mango Chutney

I love chutneys! A well-made chutney can lift a dish to another dimension. Mix it with rice and curry, eat it with a savory, add it to a chaat or relish with a paratha. Sometimes, when the sabzi is listless, a good chutney can effortlessly carry the meal to its finale. I am fascinated with chutney recipes and  if I ever write cookbooks, a book on chutneys will be the first in line. 

Yesterday I had invited family-friends for dinner and made bread rolls for starters. As it is mango season, a keri-dhaniya-pudina chutney was a natural choice to accompany the starter.

If you ask me, the holy trinity of a good chutney is green chillies-black salt-lemon. It gives that zing to chutney, which make your taste buds sing. While coriander, mint, coconut or any other veggie gives body to a chutney, it's this trinity which brings out the flavors. 

    Raw Mango, Pic Courtesy: Pixabay

    Mint Leaves, Pic Courtesy: Pixabay

  Coriander Leaves, Pic Courtesy: Pixabay

Ingredients:

Coriander leaves (with stalks) - 1 medium bunch

Mint leaves (without stalks) - A handful

Raw mango - 1 big

Green chillies - 4-5 small ones

Black salt - according to taste 

Common salt - according to taste

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - If the chutney isn't sour enough

Water - Just a little 

Way to go:

1. Wash all leaves thoroughly in running water.

2. Soak leaves and green chillies in vinegar for a few minutes. Wash again.

3. Peel and roughly chop raw mango. Add all ingredients and toss in a blender. I use my Blendtec.

4. Grind to a paste. After the chutney is blended once, taste it and adjust the ingredients. Once you're in chutney land, just play with ingredients and have fun! 

Notes:

1. Remember to remove stems from mint leaves as otherwise they impart a slight bitterness to the chutney.

2. This chutney can be made in bulk and frozen for later use.