Pudina chutney (Mint 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. Mint 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. Yogurt mint chutney

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.

Preparation – recipe 3

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.

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