Cliantro Green chutney

Growing up in India meant growing up eating Indian food. And eating Indian food meant nearly every dish was garnished with chopped cilantro leaves.

I have lived in many cities and towns in India. The most ubiquitous factor in an Indian family's life is their "sabziwallah" and "keerai-kari".

"Sabziwallah" simply means "vegetable man". He would arrive early every morning, pushing his cart laden with all kinds of local and seasonal vegetables. There would be potatoes, onions, tomatoes, green beans, a few different kinds of pumpkins and gourds, brinjal (eggplant), carrots, ladies finger (okra!) amongst whatever else he could source that morning. None of the vegetables were refrigerated, so he needed to offload his wares that same day in order to minimize any losses. Invariably, he had a route and many different housewives with whom he had a symbiotic relationship. They needed him and he needed them. The women of the household looked forward to his visit everyday. It was a time to meet and chat with neighbors, take a break from the rush of sending the husband and kids off to work and school and from packing tiffin boxes (lunch boxes) for everyone. It was a time to take in the glorious sunshine and pore over the produce. Each housewife would buy her vegetables for the day and in the end, the sabziwallah would throw in his special free of charge - a small handful of green chilis and a few sprigs of cilantro.

And that cilantro would get washed, chopped and grace nearly every dish as a garnish.

But if the housewife ever wanted to make a cilantro chutney, she'd need to go to another source to buy a bunch of cilantro - the "keerai-kari" or the "green woman". This was invariably an old woman who would come laden with a huge basket on her head, filled with all kinds of greens. She would have different types of spinach, all kinds of greens and bunches of cilantro. She would stand outside the door and yell, "Amma (madam), I've brought greens". And the housewife would have another break from her household chores. She would go out and help the old woman bring down the basket from her head, haggle over the price of the greens, pay her, help her load her heavy basket back on her head and be on her merry way.

So, for as long as I can remember, cilantro was a staple in my diet - either as a garnish or as a chutney. It is only now that I checked the nutritional value of cilantro. According to the health diaries site, it has phenomenal health benefits - most notable amongst them is the ability to work as a natural chelation agent by leaching out heavy metals like mercury from the body. In addition, it is reportedly good for reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering blood sugar. It is also a good source of magnesium, iron, dietary fiber, phytonutrients and flavonoids.

And, oh, did I mention - it tastes simply fantastic.

What more reason do you need to try out this fabulous Cilantro Green chutney? Here's one more - it is ZERO fat. No fat! Nada!

Here's the section where I give credit: the Cilantro Green Chutney is my dear mother-in-law, Usha's recipe. And this is my father-in-law's most favorite accompaniment for every dish.

I have used this chutney in the Fusion Egg Sandwich recipe and had promised to give you the recipe.

Here it is. Buy a bunch of fresh green cilantro, make this chutney and store in the fridge for upto a week. Super quick and easy to make!







Here is what you need:
3 small bunches fresh cilantro leaves (wash thoroughly under running water)
1" piece fresh ginger (wash)
2 garlic pods (peeled and washed)
4 green chilis (reduce per taste)
1 tsp salt
Dash of lemon juice



Here is how you make this:
Place everything except lemon juice in a blender. Add enough water to allow the blender to work smoothly. Blend. Add lemon juice. Serve. Enjoy!