Mint And Tamarind Chutney Recipes

MINT AND TAMARIND CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For the Mint chutney Process all the ingredients in blender or food processor beginning with the ginger and garlic, then adding the chili, then the herbs. Lastly add the lemon juice, water, and yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For the Tamarind chutney Simmer the jaggery, tamarind, dates, and ginger in the juice and water for 5 minutes. Puree and strain through a chinois.

SAMOSAS WITH TAMARIND-DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For the pastry: Add the flour, salt and nigella or ajwain seeds to a medium bowl and mix. Add the ghee or oil and mix in with your fingers until the dough looks crumbly. Begin by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add more water a little a time to make a stiff dough. Try to knead the dough as little as possible (think flaky pie crust). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• For the spice blend: To roast the spices, heat a small cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, clove, cardamom and cinnamon and roast, shaking the skillet often, until the mixture darkens slightly and becomes toasty and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool. Add the amchur powder, red chile powder and turmeric. Once cool, transfer to a grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a medium-fine grind.
• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle until they darken slightly, about 30 seconds Add the peanuts if using and cook until crunchy, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the raw aroma of the ginger goes away, about 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes, peas, roasted spice blend and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until the peas soften and the mixture is well mixed and seasoned, about 3 minutes. Add the cilantro if using. Add salt to taste, amchur for additional tang and red chile powder for spice.
• To assemble and fry the samosas: Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven or wide heavy-bottomed pot to come up the sides about 3 inches. Place over medium heat and heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (a kitchen scale is helpful here but not necessary). For smaller samosas, you can divide the dough into 8 balls. Cover all but 1 ball with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Flatten the uncovered ball into an oval patty. Lightly brush with oil and roll the patty into a thin oval (8 to 9 inches long and 5 to 6 inches wide). Cut in half widthwise into 2 semicircles.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one semicircle at a time, fold over one end of the straight edge halfway toward the rounded edge. Using a fingertip, lightly wet the outside edge with a little water as well as the inner edge of the other half of the straight side. Then fold the other half up and overlapping the wet sides, about 1/4 inch, to form a cone. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand, pinch the seam again to make sure it's sealed and fill it with 2 tablespoons of the potato filling. Make a little pleat opposite of the sealed edge by pinching it over about 1/4 inch. This is the backbone of the samosa and will help it stand. Wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with a second dough ball and some of the filling to make 4 samosas.
• Double-check that the oil temperature is 340 degrees F (it's important for the oil to be medium hot; if it's too hot, the outside of the samosas will brown too quickly, while the inside dough will not be cooked enough and the samosas won't crisp up). Gently slip in the 4 samosas and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If the samosas haven't browned by then, increase the temperature to 360 degrees F and cook, turning over as needed, until golden brown. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• While the samosas are frying, shape and fill 4 more samosas, then repeat until all the samosas are shaped, filled and fried. Serve immediately with Tamarind-Date Chutney.
• Stir together the seedless tamarind, date paste, jaggery, cumin powder, red chile powder, ginger powder, fennel powder, black salt, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low so the sauce is simmering. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes; when you dip a spoon into the sauce and run your finger across the back of it, it should hold a line. Taste and add more salt or jaggery if needed. Remove from the heat and strain. Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.

MINT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, until smooth and thick enough to hold at the lip of a spoon without any liquid running. The chunky bits should not separate from the liquid. The consistency of the chutney will probably depend on the strength of the blender, and a chunky chutney made with a lower powered blender tastes just as good as a very smooth one. The chutney can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

SWEET TAMARIND CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, ginger, cayenne pepper, fennel seeds, asafoetida powder, and garam masala; cook and stir for about 2 minutes to release the flavors.
• Stir the water into the pan with the spices along with the sugar and tamarind paste. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the mixture turns a deep chocolaty brown and is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. This should take 20 to 30 minutes. The sauce will be thin, but it will thicken upon cooling.

FRESH MINT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Put the onion in a mesh strainer and rinse for about 5 seconds under cold running water. Transfer to an electric mini-chopper and add the chile, ginger, salt, and sugar. Grind to a coarse texture, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides several times. Add the lime juice, water, and mint. Process to a fine texture; it should resemble a thick pesto. Occasionally stop the machine and scrape down the sides to facilitate an even puree.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to bloom. Taste and adjust the flavors. Add water by the teaspoon if the relish is too thick; however, it should not be liquid. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld and for the texture to slightly thicken. The initial bright green color will dull, but the flavor will remain robust. This relish tastes best fresh but can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

MANGO-TAMARIND CHUTNEY

Steps:

• To make tamarind juice, put the pulp in a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Stir well and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Set a fine-meshed strainer over another bowl, add soaked tamarind and press hard with a wooden spoon to extract the juice. This should yield 1/2 cup tamarind juice. Discard the solids left in the strainer. (If using prepared tamarind juice, skip this step.)
• Add brown sugar and salt and stir to dissolve, then add onion, chile, ginger and diced mango and toss gently to combine. (Chutney may be prepared several hours in advance.) Just before serving, add mint and cilantro, if using.

MINT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the cilantro, mint leaves, chile pepper, salt, onion and tamarind juice. Process to a fine paste, adding enough water to achieve a thick sauce.