Indian Coconut and Cilantro Green Chutney Recipe (Lili Chatni)

There are many variations of green chutney as there are Indian households. This is my version of a Parsi (part Persian, part Indian) rendition from one of my favorite cookbooks, My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Inchaporia King. The coconut adds a slight richness that softens the bracing qualities of the herbs.

Green chutneys made with cilantro and mint lose their color within hours but this one, because it contains coconut, retains its verdant color for days. It tastes too good to keep around for that long, however. Grate your own coconut (use a hairy brown one), or purchase frozen grated coconut from Indian and Southeast Asian markets. This is a great accompaniment to Southern Indian fare such as kuzhi paniyaram rice and lentil dumplings.

Makes 1 generous cup

2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 green Thai or 2 serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated fresh or thawed, frozen coconut
1 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped cilantro, leaves and stems
12 to 14 fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
Generous 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, pounded with a mortar and pestle
About 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
About 1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar, optional

1. Put the garlic, chiles and salt in a mini food processor and process to a fine texture.

2. Add the coconut, cilantro, mint, cumin, lime juice and water. Process to a thick, fine texture, pausing as needed to scrape down the sides. Aim for a texture that can stand up on a plate. Taste and add sugar if the flavor is too tart. Adjust the flavors as needed for tart, hot, salty, herby finish. Transfer to a jar or plastic container and set aside for a few hours for the flavors to blend. This chutney tastes better the next day to me, and it will keep for a week.

Comments

[Robyn]

Hey Andrea - there's a variation on this theme in Alford/Duguid's 'Mangoes and Curry Leaves', in which they stuff a whole fish with it (and put some in slashes on the fish's skin) then wrap in foil (or banana leaves) and roast (or grill). Try it - it's delicious!

I like to stir a good bit of leftover green chutney into drained yogurt and then use the result to dress a salad of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers (and maybe chickpeas), or stir it into hot rice. It's also yummy scrambled into eggs.

I've also been known to eat it straight, right out of the fridge. :-)

[Andrea Nguyen]

Robyn, that sounds soooo good. The basic Indian green chutney is totally versatile. In Niloufer's book, she says just put it (this coconutty version) on bread and make an Indian person instantly happy. Oh yes, scrambled eggs and cilantro chutney. Delicioso.

[Sharmila Rodricks]

Great recipe . Came out really well. Lovely colour and texture.Thank you

[Andrea Nguyen]

Thanks for the feedback, Sharmila. This is one of my favorite chutneys. Glad you like it too!

[webdiva]

Any tips for grating fresh coconut? I can find a whole coconut at some markets near me, but after that, I'm lost; do I peel away the brown inner 'skin' first? Barring that, where can I find frozen coconut in the SW suburban Chicago area??

[Andrea Nguyen]

Webdiva -- lots of tips on grating coconut. Yep, get rid of the brown skin, use a veg peeler. I've got a lengthy set of tips in Asian Dumplings.

For frozen coconut where you are, try H-mart, a Korean owned chain of pan-Asian markets? http://www.hmart.com/

Also, a Latin market.

[Chana]

Andrea, I had bookmarked this a while ago. Now how good to finally get into the swing of shopping for these ingredients and making the mix. These ingredients have gradually become staples in my kitchen. Today
this mix is my lunch (with yogurt, toast, and salad.)
Thanks!

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Sounds really yummy recipe may look confusing but final output will be awesome.