Pudina chutney | Mint chutney | How to make pudina chutney

Pudina chutney recipe – There are 3 ways a mint chutney is made in Indian cuisine and I have shared all the 3 in this post. The first one is to serve as a side with Snacks like samosa, pakora and Sandwiches & is also used for chaats. The second one is to serve with kebabs & tandoori snacks. The third version is the south Indian style pudina chutney for idli, dosa, vada, masala vada or any other Indian breakfast.

Fresh pudina or mint is a herb that ignites the digestive fire and aids in digestion. So it is widely served with most Indian breakfasts, snacks and appetizers like kebabs & tikkis.

All the 3 variations of this mint chutney taste different due to the use of different ingredients. Lemon and green chilies are the 2 ingredients used in common.

Lemon helps to preserve the green color of the chutney to some extent so it is good to use it in any of these.

Fresh made pudina chutney tastes the best as it is full of flavors. You can also make this and refrigerate up to 48 hours. Here are the 3 kinds I have shared

1. Pudina chutney recipe for snacks

This chutney goes so well with any snacks like tikkis, cutlets, samosas & pakoras. I make use of this in so many ways – to spread it over the sandwiches, wraps or kathi rolls.

This pudina chutney is very flavorful so I also use it for my pani puri, bhel puri or sev puri.

If using for chaats you can also add a handful of coriander leaves. What I have shared in this post has no coriander leaves. I have shared another similar recipe of green chutney here which I follow if making the chutney exclusively for chaats.

But this recipe is an all-in-one which I use in so many ways as I mentioned above. To keep the pudina chutney thick I sometimes add a tbsp of fried gram or roasted gram or roasted peanuts.

These add texture and helps to keep the color slightly brighter.

2. Mint chutney for kababs & tandoori foods

North Indian Restaurants serve a mint chutney or kabab chutney with tandoori appetizers. I got to taste a few different ones. Some taste so bad with no flavor and taste. But some good restaurants serve really good mint chutney that tastes out of the world.

A little research with the chefs led me to this recipe. The best tasting mint chutney will have a creamy texture with almost no prominent sour taste but has slight tang which actually enhances the taste of the chutney.

So using good fresh made curd is the key to this amazing flavorful chutney. Some restaurants even add some fresh malai if the curd is sour to balance the sourness.

This mint chutney for kababs and tandoori appetizers is made with little curd or yogurt. The recipe shared here comes close to the one served with kababs and grills in a good standard North Indian restaurant.

3. South Indian pudina chutney

This can be served not only with idli, dosa, uttapam, pongal, vada but can also be used as a spread to sandwiches, wraps or rolls. It is also a multipurpose chutney.

In South India, pudina chutney is made in different ways. My mom adds a handful of fresh mint leaves with most chutneys she makes like tomato chutney, peanut chutney, mango chutney and even with coconut chutney.

Since they have the mint plants in their back yard, she is so much used to adding the fresh leaves in chutneys. Most of her chutneys have either slightly sauteed pudina or fresh ones.

I always wonder how well mint can enhance the aroma of any chutneys.

The third pudina chutney recipe I have shared in this post is with coconut which I often make for our south Indian breakfasts. I have also given substitutes for coconut in the recipe card.

Tips to make the best pudina chutney

• Ensure you use fresh mint or pudina as it is the star of the recipe.
• Do not use stalks or stems of the mint. Most times the stalks end up making the pudina chutney bitter or taste pungent.
• You can make the mint chutney ahead of time and refrigerate. But the chutney will discolor with in few minutes due to the nature of the pudina or mint.
• Adding few tsps of lemon juice can help to preserve the color for a while. But still the mint chutney will discolor over time.
• If you plan to make pudina chutney for parties, then just keep all the ingredients ready the previous night. All you need to do is just blend them and use it as needed.

Benefits of mint

Pudina or mint leaves have numerous health benefits especially when used fresh & in raw form without cooking. So all the pudina chutney recipes I have shared in this post will have the same health benefits that are equal to eating them raw.

1.Mint leaves have one of the highest antioxidants & benefits the body to fight the free radicals.

2.Pudina is a herb that helps to calm & sooth the upset digestive system. It helps in digesting heavy foods so it is great to serve with any snacks & appetizers.

3.The leaves of pudina are a good source of iron, folate & many other nutrient. You can easily convince your kids to enjoy mint this way in a pudina chutney.

More Chutney recipes
Tomato chutney
Coconut chutney
Onion chutney
Peanut chutney

Pudina chutney

Mint chutney can be made in 3 ways . 1st pudina chuntey recipe is for Indian snacks like pakora, sandwiches, samosas & chaats. 2nd recipe is for Indian kebabs and tandoori foods. 3rd one is for Indian breakfast like idli, dosa, vada and pongal.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time2 minutes

Total Time7 minutes

Servings4

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Recipe 1 – Ingredients for mint chutney for snacks, chaats, sandwiches

• 1½ cup mint leaves or pudina (tightly packed)
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder or jeera powder
• ½ inch ginger or adrak
• 1 to 2 green chilies
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon chaat masala (adjust to taste)
• salt as needed
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoon water or as needed
• 1 tablespoon fried gram or roasted peanuts (skip if making for chaats)

Recipe 2 – Ingredients (for kebab chutney)

• 1 cup mint leaves
• ¼ cup coriander leaves or cilantro (optional)
• 2 teaspoons onions chopped (skip if not serving fresh)
• ½ teaspoon roasted jeera powder or cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ginger grated
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 green chilies deseeded
• 1 cup thick curd or yogurt (fresh)

Recipe 3 – Ingredients for pudina chutney

• ½ cup coconut fresh chopped or 1 cup grated
• ¼ to ½ cup pudina or mint (loosely packed, do not use stalks) (as desired)
• 1 tablespoon fried gram or roasted gram (or ¾ tbsp each chana dal, urad dal)
• ½ teaspoon cumin or jeera
• ½ inch ginger (or 1 to 2 garlic cloves)
• Salt as needed
• 2 to 3 green chilies
• Lemon juice as needed or 1 tsp tamarind paste

tempering (optional)

• 1 teaspoon Oil
• 1 red chili broken
• ¼ teaspoon mustard
• ½ teaspoon urad dal
• 1 Pinch hing or asafoetida

How to make the recipe

Preparation

• Pluck the pudina leaves from the stalks or stems.
• Rinse them well in a large bowl of water a few times.
• Drain them completely to a colander. 

Recipe 1 – How to make mint chutney for snacks & chaats

• To a blender jar, add mint leaves, roasted cumin powder,ginger, green chilies, chaat masala and salt as needed.
• You can also add some roasted fried gram or roasted peanuts if you prefer the chutney thick & smooth.
• Squeeze in the lemon juice. Blend them well adding 1 to 2 tbsps water as needed.
• Make a fine smooth pudina chutney.

Recipe 2 – How to make chutney for kebabs and tandoori

• Add pudina, coriander leaves, salt, ginger, garlic, onion, green chilies, roasted cumin powder, sugar, salt and 1 tbsp yogurt to a blender jar.
• Make a fine paste.
• Whisk yogurt to smooth consistency and add the blended paste.
• Mix well and adjust salt, chili and lemon juice as needed.  Serve with kebabs

Recipe 3

• If using chana dal and urad dal dry roast them until golden in a pan.
• Add cumin and fry lightly. Turn off and cool.
• Optional – You can also saute pudina in oil for 2 to 3 mins first and use.
• Add green chili, coconut, fried gram or dal, salt, ginger or garlic and mint to the blender jar. You can also skip coconut and use roasted peanuts.
• Blend everything well. Add water little by little scrape off the sides.
• Blend again until it reaches a desired texture. If adding lemon juice, add it now. Adjust salt and chili as needed.
• Heat a pan with oil to temper pudina chutney.  
• Next add red chili, mustard and dals. Fry until dal turns golden. Add hing and switch off.
• Add this to the pudina chutney. 
• Stir and serve pudina chutney with sandwich, idli, dosa or any other breakfast or snack.

NUTRITION (estimation only)

Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 715IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes

Discard the stalks and stems of mint or pudina as they may taste bitter.

Nutrition values are for recipe 1 with 1 tbsps dry roasted peanuts

If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.

Preparation

1. Wash pudina in a pot filled with clean water. Repeat the wash a few times and drain them in a colander.

2. Dry roast ¾ tbsp each of chana dal and urad dal on a low flame until golden. Add ½ tsp cumin to the hot pan and switch off. Cool these. If using bhuna chana skip roasting. You can also saute pudina in oil for 2 to 3 mins first and use. You can also use peanuts. Just roast the peanuts until aromatic and golden.

How to make

3. Add ½ cup chopped coconut, 2 to 3 green chilies, ½ inch ginger or 2 small garlic cloves, pudina, roasted dal, cumin and salt. You can also add a tsp of tamarind paste if you like the tang.

4. Blend them all together first for pudina chutney.

5. Add water as needed and blend to a smooth or coarse chatni to suit your liking. I prefer to use lemon juice now. Transfer the pudina chutney to a serving bowl.

6. Pudina chutney can be served without tempering too. To temper heat a small pan with little oil on a low flame. Add red chili, ¼ tsp mustard and ½ tsp urad dal. When the dal turns golden, add hing and switch off the stove. Pour this to the chutney. Mix well.

Serve pudina chutney with south Indian breakfasts like
idli
dosa
evening snacks

The day I make this chutney for breakfast, I use the same for the kids kathi rolls and sandwiches.