Chutneys

cilantro chutney

Sometimes its the simplest of recipes that gathers the most interest. I had put up a picture of this chutney on Instagram and had more than one person ask about the recipe. Which is very rare on my feed 🙂 So although I hadn’t planned on it being on the blog, here it is. I was also smiling inwardly at myself because often I agonize and plan and dissect what the next post would be and this one just happened quite by chance.

This style of chutney called “kharam” is very common in Andhra cooking. The ones that were often made in my house was this one with cilantro, sometimes one with green chillies and then the queen of them all – the one with ripe red chillies called “Korvi Kharam” …the kharam referring to the technique and spices used in the dish.

This dish is not going to wow you with its looks. But what is lost upon cooking, namely that vibrant green color, is more than made up with its absolutely delicious flavor. And it behaves like it was destined to go with any dish it is paired with…dosas, pesarattu, vadas, adais, sandwiches …even a simple bread and butter sandwich. Like a sweet, savory, spicy, jammy lump of deliciousness!

So since I literally stopped by just to drop off the recipe, I will keep it short. I hope you get to try making it and I hope you like it. Do let me know either way 🙂

Kothmir Kharam

Printable Recipe

5 cups cilantro, loosely packed. You can include the tender stems too.

1 tbsp tamarind pods (or 2 tbsp thick tamarind pulp)

1/8 cup jaggery or dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/3 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 1/2 tsp split urad dal (black lentils)

1 1/2 + 1/2 tbsp canola, peanut or vegetable oil

4 dried Kashmiri red chillies

salt to taste

Rinse and dry the cilantro completely (I use a salad spinner). Chop coarsely.Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a skillet and fry the cilantro on a medium flame until it is completely wilted. Let it cool.

While the cilantro is cooling, heat the 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a small saucepan on a medium flame. Add the fenugreek seeds and fry until they turn golden brown. Then add the black lentils and fry until they start to change color. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the dried red chillies and fry until they fluff up (Don’t let them turn too dark). Cool.

Add the spice mixture and tamarind to a small jar of the blender and run it until coarsely powdered. Add the cilantro, jaggery and some salt. Run it a few more times until it becomes a rough paste. Adjust the amount of salt, adding more if needed. Enjoy!

Yum