Coriander Coconut Chutney



Coriander Coconut Chutney

 I made this for a snack for lunch - my all time favourite - boiled egg sandwiches with coriander coconut chutney. They remind me of childhood picnics with my mother, father and sis. Especially one where we included a Danish guest - Yanne - and our trip to the Elephanta Caves, a ferry ride from the Gateway of India, Bombay. It was a beautiful trip which ended in our indulging in these chutney egg sandwiches in her room at the YMCA - we hadn't been able to find a good picnic spot anywhere on our trip.

Here's to chutney egg sandwiches which will eventually be chutney tomato-cucumber sandwiches when the eggs run out.

Ingredients
1/2 cup coriander leaves
3/4 cup shredded coconut (fresh/dry and non-sweet/frozen)
A piece of ginger about 1 1/2 inches long
2 green chillies (reduce to 1 if you find it too spicy)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Water
Salt

Some recommend adding a garlic pod to this mix. I skipped it to give it a more simple flavour.

Method
Chop the ginger and chillies into big pieces (roughly chopped is ok since we're blending the ingredients. Mix the coconut, coriander, ginger and green chillies in a blender and add very little water to grind the mixture to a wet paste consistency. When you're satisfied about the thickness, take it out of a blender into a container (you can directly put it into a serving dip dish or in a storage container - needs to be kept in a fridge).

Add salt and the lemon juice to it. Mix. The chutney slightly hardens and thickens even more when in a fridge so when you take it out the next time you might have to dilute it a little.

Spread it on your favourite slice of bread or use it as a dressing for potato salad or even spoon it over rice to mix and eat. I love to slather some on bread to make a great tasting boiled egg sandwich.

The proportion of coconut can be reduced if you want a darker shade of green and a burst of coriander flavour. Add 1/4 cup of coconut to 3/4 cup of coriander and see what happens.

Use the chutney within a week. Of course, its hard to resist because of its versatility.