Blog Cook-off: SPICES & SEASONS by Rinku Bhattacharya

I was invited by Hippocrene Books to participate in a Blog-off to celebrate the release of Spices and Seasons by Rinku Bhattacharya this month. It’s a fun way to launch a new cookbook from this renowned publisher of international cookbooks. This week, I’m making and posting a pre-selected recipe, next week, we’ll make a recipe of our choice and post about it, then, the following week, we’ll post a book review and share a copy of Spices & Seasons with one of you! So, if you like Indian cuisine as much as we do, be sure to tuned for your chance to win!

To start, John and I made the versatile Classic Green Mint Chutney which we tried with Vegetable Samosas that we bought from Trader Joe’s (click here to see how to make homemade Samosas). Then we tried it with watermelon thinking that its spicy-sweet-fresh flavor would be a perfect complement to fruit – and it was! We also think this would be wonderful served with grilled fish or chicken.

Excellent with Samosas!

Classic Green Mint Chutney

(VE, GF)

Green mint chutney is a classic, popular staple, omnipresent next to snacks, particularly in the summer months. This recipe is a very simple free-form variation of the classic recipe. There are other creative variations using tomatoes, green mangoes, and the works, so I encourage you to create and innovate to suit your fancy. Mint by itself in this recipe can have a bitter aftertaste, so it is tempered with cilantro. You can mix and match other herbs as desired. This chutney can be used as a condiment or sandwich spread, or can be added to sauces.

The freshest flavors come from the freshest ingredients – this lime is from our garden.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients

1 bunch cilantro leaves (about 3 cups of leaves; tender stems can also be used in this recipe)

2 bunches mint leaves (about 11⁄2 cups)

2 green Serrano chilies

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1⁄2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons oil (such as mustard or canola)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation

1. Place the cilantro, mint, green Serrano chilies, cumin powder, salt, black salt, sugar, oil, and lime juice in the bowl of a blender.

2. Grind mixture until smooth. This chutney will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, but the color will darken due to the lime.

This is the classic variety

Tips and Tricks:

It is important to ensure that the mint leaves used for this chutney are tender or they tend to add a bitter taste to this condiment.

This chutney can be mellowed by adding 11⁄2 tablespoons of yogurt or coconut milk as a vegan option. If adding yogurt you can skip the lime juice.

Another variation is to add some blanched peanuts or almonds.

So easy, fresh, and versatile!

About the book: Spices & Seasons: Simple, Sustainable Indian Flavors introduces 150+ simple, seasonal recipes that marry the spices of India with the four seasons of an American backyard (think: seared scallops in a blueberry ginger sauce, crisped okra with dry spice rub, mango & goat cheese mini crisps, and red harvest masala Cornish hens). The recipes, many of which are gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian, are designed to reduce your family’s food footprint and encourage you to explore the joys of farmers’ markets and home gardens.

About the author: Rinku Bhattacharya is the Gourmand Award-winning author of The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles. She also writes the blog Cooking in Westchester and the “Spices and Seasons” column in New York’s The Journal News.

Enjoy!

These recipes are provided for your personal use. If you publish them, or re-post them, please give me credit. Grazie e Buon Appetito!

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