The Recipe Room

Green Chutney is perhaps the simplest chutney to make, and it is also the most versatile. The combination of  coriander, lemon juice and mint make this chutney extremely zesty. It goes very well with all kinds of samosas or even Viatnemese spring rolls. Samosas and Bondas are finger foods, which is why this Green Chutney makes the perfect dip. Since it is so flavourful, you could also pour it over something a bit more subtle such as cottage cheese, as you see in the photo.

Not everyone makes Green Chutney with mint. However, I find mint to be very refreshing, and it balances the spicier ingredients perfectly.

I have a friend who once tried this with dried mint herbs she bought at the supermarket, but she told me it just was not the same. When mint dries, it loses its zesty flavour, and that really takes away a lot from the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 250g fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 green chilli peppers
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/2tsp ginger powder
• 20g grated coconut
• 1/2tsp sugar
• 5tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Thoroughly wash the coriander and mince it as finely as you possibly can. Put it into the liquidiser or food processor.
2. Clean the fresh mint and mince it. Add it to the liquidiser or food processor. Do not blend these ingredients yet.
3. Take the 2 green chilli peppers and cloves of garlic and chop them as finely as possible. Add them to the blender.
4. Add the ginger powder, grated coconut and sugar to the blender. These sweet ingredients will balance the spicier ones (such as the green chilli peppers and the garlic).
5. Blend these ingredients thoroughly.
6. Now add in the lemon juice and blend a bit more.
7. Finally add a bit of salt to taste. Do not add too much, as this is overall a sweet and refreshing chutney. However, a bit of salt makes all flavours more intense, even sweet ones. So add just a pinch to bring out the flavours.

Makes: Enough for 20 servings

Takes: 30 minutes

Lamb Biryani is a dish consisting of a layer of marinated lamb and a layer of basmati rice. It is quite tricky to cook both the marinated lamb and the rice to perfection. When you first cook the rice, it must only be half-cooked. When you add it to the pot later with the marinated lamb, it will finish cooking. If you want to get the flavour just right, you must use basmati rice.

Once you get the hang of making sure the lamb and the rice are both cooked perfectly, you might want to try my Chicken Biryani recipe. But just love lamb? Give this lamb roast with garlic and rosemary a go.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Lamb
• 100ml Yoghurt
• 2 Red Chilli Peppers, 1 chopped and 1 left whole
• 1/4tsp Garam Masala
• 2tsp Ginger Paste
• 2tsp Garlic Paste
• 1tsp Chopped Mint
• 1/4tsp Turmeric Powder
• 3 Large Onions
• 500g Basmati Rice
• 1l Water
• 1/2tsp Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Salt to taste
• 200g Ghee

Preparation Method:

1. Chop the raw lamb into medium-sized cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the yoghurt, red chilli peppers, garam masala, ginger paste, garlic paste and mint.
3. Now slowly stir in the cubes of raw lamb.
4. Add the turmeric powder and stir.
5. Peel and chop the onions.
6. Heat the ghee in a pan on a medium flame and add the chopped onions. Fry the onions until they are crispy and light brown. Do not fry them for so long that they get caramelised.
7. Remove the onions and place them on a plate with a kitchen towel or paper towel below them. You want the ghee to drain away so that the onions are crispy.
8. Let the crispy onions cool. Then, add them to the marinade.
9. Put the bowl in the fridge and let the lamb marinate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
10. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in cold water.
11. Wash the rice and put it in a pot with 1 litre of water. Bring the water to the boil, then lower the flame and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and set it aside.
12. Heat the ghee in the pot on a medium flame.
13. Add the marinated lamb—with all the marinade—to the pot.
14. Add the basmati rice on top of this.
15. Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the rice.
16. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
17. Cover the pot. Allow it to cook on a high flame for about 15 minutes. Then lower the flame and let is simmer for about 1 to 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender and fully cooked.

Makes: Enough for 6 servings
Takes: 2 hours (plus 6 hours to marinate the lamb)

Carrot Kanji is a refreshing drink made from fermented vegetables. You basically chop up various vegetables and mix them into water in a transparent pitcher and leave them in the sun for a few days to ferment. It does not take long to prepare, and once made, it can stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. This drink is served chilled, and it has quite a strong, unique carroty flavour. In fact, some people find it a bit too strong the first few times they try it.

Traditionally, kanji is made with black carrots, which are found in northern India in the winter. However, since black carrots are hard to find in the West, you can use regular orange carrots for this Carrot Kanji drink, and it will still have its distinctive flavour. (For a warm treat, I recommend this comforting carrot, coriander and cumin soup.)

Carrot Kanji not only is low in calories but also may help you lose weight. Some studies have shown that eating red chilli peppers helps people slim down. Apparently, they curb your appetite. They may also raise your metabolism. Since my Carrot Kanji recipe calls for red chilli peppers, this is good news for those of you on a diet. I must point out that you may add in more red or green chilli peppers if you want to. Play around a bit with the quantities to see what spiciness level you like best.

Chutney is such an amazingly versatile food, and it goes well with so many Indian dishes. This Coriander Mint Chutney is a lovely, refreshing chutney recipe I got from my Mum. She likes to serve it with samosas. It is refreshing enough to offset the spicy taste of my Chickpea Samosas or my Vegetable Samosas.

This Coriander Mint Chutney is not as spicy as my Tomato Chutney is. In fact, it is rather light and zesty, thanks to its combination of mint, coriander, lemon and lime.

Mint is highly digestive. For many of my English friends, the hot spices of Indian food are rich and delicious – but make for difficult digestion. That is why I like to serve mint chutney along with many dishes. It really does help your stomach.

Mint also goes very well with lamb, so this chutney can garnish your favourite lamb dish, such as this Lamb Mussaman.

Ingredients:

• 200g fresh mint leaves
• 100g fresh coriander (leaves and stems)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 10g ginger
• ½ small onion
• 1tsp lemon juice
• 1tsp lime juice
• Pinch of salt

Preparation Method:

1. Pick the mint leaves off the stalks and stems. Wash and set aside.
2. Remove the coriander roots. Remember, unlike with fresh mint, you can actually include the stems of the fresh coriander. Wash it and put it in the blender.
3. Wash the garlic and ginger thoroughly and add to the blender. You do not need to slice the garlic or grind the ginger beforehand.
4. Cut the onion into about 4 pieces and put in blender. Putting the ingredients in one at a time helps avoid overworking the appliance.
5. Mix thoroughly.
6. Add the lemon juice and lime juice. This will provide a zesty flavour.
7. Once everything is well-mixed in a purée form, you can now add the mint. The mint is added at the very end so as to not blend it for too long.
8. Taste the chutney and then add a pinch of salt to taste. Do not add too much salt as you want it to taste refreshing and tangy.
9. Give it one last blend and it should be ready.

Makes: Enough for 8 servings.
Takes: 20 minutes.

This is a another deliciously refreshing lassi drink. You are probably thinking, “Jay! You have already shared a lassi recipe!” And, of course, you are right. However, this version is my low-fat mango and mint lassi is for those who are already preparing for bikini season.

This recipe is even healthier than the last because I include 2 mangos instead of just a few grams. It is made with low-fat yoghurt so that those of us who are watching our figures can enjoy a nice dessert without having to worry about the number of calories. I also replace the sugar with saccharin or other such sweeteners and the milk for skimmed milk.

I once served my friend a Thai green curry with chicken, and she started sweating. She was about to grab her glass of water, when I stopped her and made her this lassi. It immediately soothed her taste buds. I had to laugh because even though the dish was spicy, she kept digging in, all the while taking swigs of the lassi for a good balance. She learned that day why my family likes to have lassi after a spicy meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 large fresh mangos, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 900ml low-fat plain yoghurt
• 520ml skim milk
• 4 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed ice
• 8 teaspoons of saccharin

Preparation Method:

1. Put the skim milk, low-fat yoghurt and mango into a blender and blend for 1 minute. The mango should already be well chopped so that you don’t have to blend for too long.
2. Add the saccharin and blend for 1 minute.
3. Add the mint and blend for 1 minute more.
4. Add the crushed ice and blend for 30 seconds. You don’t want to blend for too long here because the ice is already crushed, and you don’t want the blender’s motor to end up heating up the ice. After all, this is supposed to be a cold, refreshing drink.
5. Serve in a tall glass with a straw.

Takes: 15 minutes

Makes: 4 glasses