The Cilantro Chutney That Rocks My World

I made homemade cilantro chutney for book club tonight (after buying frozen bake-yourself samosas from  Shop 'n' Go - a.k.a. the "Salt Lake Quik-E-Mart" -  at their new location on the corner of 300 South and 600 East.) I've never found a bottled or frozen chutney of any green variety that comes even close to the vibrant flavor of fresh. And I have a confession to make. When I got home, the kids stole the last samosas, and I was left with about two tablespoons of chutney. I ate it with a spoon. Plain. True story. It's just that good!

Since I love you, I'm going to share the recipe:

1/4 c. fresh lime juice (lemon will work as well)
1/4 c. water
1/4 lb. fresh cilantro stems and leaves, washed and coarsely chopped (~2 c. packed)
1/4 c. fresh or dried grated coconut (preferably unsweetened)
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp. finely chopped chili (jalepeño)
1 tsp. sugar (omit if coconut is sweetened)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Puree in food processor until mostly smooth!

(I owe this recipe to a very kind family who hosted me in Maryland when my friend Cinnamon was ordained a UU minister there in 2002.)


p.s. This post reminded me of that factoid about cilantro dislike being a genetic thing, so I decided to look for where I got that idea on the interwebs, and came up with this great article from the NY Times: Cilantro Haters, It’s Not Your Fault. This article provides a possible answer as to why I love cilantro now but hated it at first...YAY!