Mint Chutney

Mint Chutney (pudhina/podhina)

Mint (Pudhina) Chutney

This recipe was given to us girls by our cooking teacher when we were 16.  It became an instant hit in our home...and the recipe spread.
When hubby dearest met me for the first time he complimented my sister on this chutney and asked for the recipe.  With a twinkle in her eye she told him it was ‘my’ recipe. I guess the twinkle meant she saw a happy future for us as long as I kept making this chutney!
This chutney enhances lamb dishes and biriyani.  It is delicious  with potato/veggie cutlets.
Add a few leaves to a pulao (Indian fried rice), with a chopped  semi-cooked potato while frying the onions, and it will taste yummy.

A few tips about mint:
When buying mint pick it up and smell the bunch...if it doesn’t have a strong aroma it isn’t right for this chutney.  The best bunches I get are in the Middle Eastern and Mexican supermarkets.
When you do buy a bunch of ‘good’ leaves, put a few stalks in a glass/jar of water in a partly sunny location.  Remember strong sunshine through glass can burn the plant.  
The stalks will grow roots in a few days and you can re-pot it indoors or out, depending on the weather in your area.
Mint in the ground takes over the yard with it’s long roots and our freshly mowed lawn, at one time, had a minty smell, so be careful where you plant it.
Even in a pot, it’s roots come out and spread so move your pot from time to time.
Trim your leaves by taking off the top half of the plant or more to encourage fresh growth.
In summer when your plant is going gangbusters, take the leaves, wash and freeze them for the times you can’t find any.
When the leaves in your pot wilt it is time to re-pot the plants or pull up half of them to give the rest room to grow.

So finally, here’s the chutney recipe:

½ cup mint leaves (wash in 3 batches of water as mint attracts insects)
1 cup cilantro leaves ( wash in 3 batches of water)
½ cup grated coconut
½ medium onion (chop)
2 green chillies
½ - 1 tsp tamarind concentrate
1 tsp rai (mustard seed)
2 tsp urad dal
1 Tbsp oil.
Salt to taste

In a non stick pan, heat oil, add rai.
When it splutters add urad dal.
Fry golden brown.
Add chopped onion...fry till transparent.
Add mint leaves and green chillies... fry till leaves wilt completely.
Place in blender with washed cilantro leaves, coconut, tamarind, salt.
Blend till slightly coarse.
Taste, adjust salt, chillies and tamarind if needed.
Blend for one more minute and enjoy!

Curry In a Hurry 'N Rice Pulao

Though I haven't posted here for a while because of enjoyable distractions of writing, family and travel, I've been collecting and trying out lots of old and new recipes.
Recently a relative mentioned a friend was going to try some Indian recipes and this reminded me of this recipe, written up years ago for friends who wanted to try their hand at Indian cooking.
I invited these friends for an Indian lunch and gave them a gift of a printed copy of these recipes and an inexpensive plastic box containing the whole spices, a couple of spoons of the curry mix and some Basmati rice so they could try the recipes out themselves.
They were really surprised and delighted and I hope others who want to try Indian curries will too.


Curries, contrary to the picture that seems to go with the word are not burning hot.
The original word is from Tamil Nadu in South India was 'kari' and meant a blend of spices.

Years ago every Indian household started the day with using a roller stone on a flat stone platform and grinding fresh spices for the day. Now the whir of the blender and the availability of all these spices in the stores have made the stone grinders of yesteryears obsolete in most households...but with the mod conveniences and lack of time and a servant to grind the spices emerges on fact: the curries don't taste the same.

To get back to the present, curries should not be dominated by oil or chilli powder. Flavoring should be so subtle that no one flavor stands out and the final result is a harmony of spices that delight the palate. In the South of India where my roots are, curry and rice go together so here are two recipes for you.

CURRY IN A HURRY 'N RICE PILAF

Ingredients (TSP: teaspoon, TBSP: tablespoon, med: medium.)

(1 lb chicken or 2 cups of mixed, chopped vegetables like cauliflower, beans, peas carrots,
potatoes).
3 Tbsps olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
1 medium sized onion
4 med. tomatoes
Cilantro
Curry powder mix ( ½ teaspoon chilli powder, ¾ tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander seed powder, ⅛ tsp turmeric, ¾ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp pepper powder).

Heat 3 Tbsps oil, put in one bay leaf, one stick cinnamon, 3 cloves.
(remove the bud of the clove as it will burst in hot oil)
Fry spices on medium heat till you get a good aroma and bay leaf turns brown. (1-2 mins)
Slice one medium sized onion.
Add to bay leaf etc. and fry till golden brown.
Add 4 chopped tomatoes, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, curry mix and vegetables.
Fry for 10-15 mins. Aroma should be great.
Add enough water to cover vegetables and let them simmer till done.
If using frozen peas etc, fry potatoes and cauliflower first for 5 mins
Or if using all frozen veggies, zap potatoes in microwave with little water for 3 mins to soften.
Add salt, one tbsp ketchup, pepper powder, simmer, taste...enjoy!

***This is a red curry...you can turn it into a ‘coconut white curry’ by adding a small (5-6 oz) can of coconut milk.
*** this can become a green curry by blending and adding ½ bunch of cilantro leaves and one green chilly instead of red chilli powder.  Other powders in the ‘mix’ must be included in recipe.
Chilli powder in American supermarkets, gives a red color to curries and isn’t too hot.

Where spices/powders are concerned err on the side of caution as less is more if you aren’t used to them.  Increase usage if your palate demands more spice.

THIS GOES WELL WITH:

PULAO (PILAF)


Ingredients
Basmati rice (available from Indian grocery stores...the long grained, fragrant quality of this rice enhances this dish.)
Olive oil
Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves.
1/2 medium onion
Garlic paste
Frozen peas
Water and salt.
Turmeric...one pinch

Wash and drain rice.
Heat 3 tbsp oil, fry bay leaf, cinnamon stick and three cloves as above.
Add ½ sliced onion and fry till light brown.
Add 1 tbsp garlic paste and ⅓ cup frozen peas and rice.
Fry 3-5 mins on medium heat.
Add water and salt (double water to rice) and bring to a boil.
Lower to medium and cook for 8 mins or till water is absorbed.
Grains of rice should be separate but when a grain is pressed between thumb and forefinger it
should be soft.
Enjoy.