Growing up, my father had a special way of eating the delish green chutney my mother made. He would add some cold-pressed sesame oil to it, a generous sprinkling of lime and a tiny pinch of salt. Lo and behold! It would be transformed from an ordinary green chutney into a shiny green emulsion, almost creamy in taste and rich to the tongue. I loved the change in look and taste. It was his way of making the everyday chutney into something more tasty!
Today, I bottle this and store it in my fridge, calling it my ‘Indian Pesto’.
Recipe:
A handful of coriander leaves (include tender stalks)
4–5 cloves of garlic
5–6 green chilies
Salt to taste
A pinch of black pepper
Lemon juice
2 tablespoons of cold-pressed, extra-virgin, unrefined Sesame oil
Method
Blitz the coriander, garlic and green chilies with very little water. Typically, the small chutney grinder jar works best for this recipe.
Set aside. Now add salt to taste, a pinch of pepper and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly. Finally add the Sesame oil. watch it become a shiny, rich emulsion. Store it in the fridge in a clean, sterilised glass bottle. It will last for a few days.
Uses
Spread it on toast, roti, paratha, or layer it in a roll…
- Use it as a sandwich spread — no butter needed
- Use it as a spread on crisp toast
- Eat it on a roti
- Use it as the base spread on any roll — with pita bread or a parantha
- We also love it as an accompaniment with Ragi Matthri and Thaalipeeth
