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Green Chutney, Pantry Version
A cilantro-forward herb jar for chaat, sandwiches, and leftover tiffin — not every green chutney under one name.
- chutney
- condiment
- chaat
This page is for the bright green jar often called hari chutney, dhaniya-pudina, or coriander-mint chutney: herbs blended with chili, acid, and salt. It is not Gujarati peanut sandwich chutney, not coconut dosa chutney, and not a yogurt-heavy kebab pudina unless you choose those forks on purpose.
What to put in the blender
A common home balance is roughly two parts cilantro to one part mint, or cilantro alone. Too much mint, or woody mint stems, can turn the paste bitter and darker. Tender cilantro stems usually blend fine. Green chili, lemon or lime, and salt do most of the seasoning; a little toasted cumin is optional. Ginger or garlic appears in many North Indian chaat versions; skip them if you want a cleaner herb jar.
Thickness depends on the job
Blend with ice or cold water, adding only enough liquid to move the blades. Keep it thick for bread and leftover tiffin; thin a spoonful with water when you drizzle over papdi chaat or aloo tikki. Color fades after a day or two in the fridge; that is normal for fresh herb pastes.
Storage
Refrigerate in a clean jar for about three to four days. Freeze in ice-cube trays if you want longer keeping. If you stir in yogurt, do it only in the portion you will eat soon — dairy shortens the life of the batch.
Sources and further reading
- Veg Recipes of India: Mint coriander chutney
- Indian Healthy Recipes: Green chutney
- Wikipedia: Chutney
- Prep
- 10 min
- Serves
- about 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1½ cups packedfresh cilantro — leaves and tender stems
- ½ cup packedfresh mint — leaves only — skip woody stems
- 1green chili — seeded if mild; add a second for heat
- 1 small clovegarlic — optional; omit for a cleaner herb jar
- 2 tbsplemon or lime juice
- ½ tspcumin seeds — optional, toasted, or use roasted cumin powder
- ½ tspsalt — adjust after blending
- 2–4 tbspice water — only as needed to move the blender
Method
- Rinse and drain the herbs well. Pick mint leaves off woody stems (woody stems turn the paste bitter).
- Blend cilantro, mint, chili, optional garlic, citrus, salt, and optional cumin with just enough ice water to puree — stop while it is still spoonable, not pourable.
- Taste for acid, salt, and heat. Thin a spoonful with water for chaat drizzle; keep the jar thicker for sandwiches and tiffin.
- Refrigerate in a clean jar up to 3–4 days, or freeze in cubes. Color fades after a day or two; that is normal.
Notes
- For a thicker sandwich chutney, blend in 1–2 tbsp roasted chana dal or peanuts and label for nut allergies.
- A pinch of amchur can replace part of the citrus if needed.