Green Chile Chutney

Recipe from Maneet Chauhan

Adapted by Priya Krishna

Updated September 10, 2023

  • Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
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Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(72)
Comments
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In her cookbook, “Chaat” (Clarkson Potter, 2020), the chef Maneet Chauhan refers to this bright, spicy chutney as a “workhorse staple in the Indian pantry.” She uses it primarily in chaat, but also drizzles it on top of roasted vegetables, dollops it onto soups and spoons it over scrambled eggs. This chutney “makes virtually any Indian recipe taste better,” she said, with its harmony of lively, complex flavors, such as chaat masala and asafetida. Like a lot of chutneys, it also includes toasted dal, which brings nuttiness and a little texture. —Priya Krishna

Featured in: Chaat Is More Than the Sum of Its Many Flavors

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 tablespoons chana dal (split chickpeas)

  • 1 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

  • ½ cup tightly packed fresh mint leaves

  • 1 (3-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled with a spoon and coarsely chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 3 serrano chiles, halved and seeded

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala

  • ½ teaspoon roasted ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • Pinch of hing (asafetida)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

8 grams carbs; 43 calories; 1 gram fat; 2 grams fiber; 87 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a small cast-iron skillet over high until nearly smoking. Add the dal and toast, swirling the pan the entire time, until it takes on a light golden-brown color, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer the dal to a bowl or plate to prevent it from overtoasting.

  2. Step 2

    In a food processor, combine the toasted dal and the rest of the ingredients and blend until quite smooth. (It will still be a little chunky.) Blend in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to achieve a thick consistency that holds together on a spoon and is not runny. Season with additional salt and lemon juice to taste.

  3. Step 3

    This chutney will keep refrigerated in a covered container for up to 1 week. After that, the vivid green color will begin to lose its vibrancy, though the chutney will still taste delicious for a full 2 weeks.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
72 user ratings
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Comments

Sue

It’s a mixture of rock salts and spices often used to sprinkle on as a finisher in Indian snack foods. It is salty, funky and sour, with some smoky cumin notes. Can be bought at any Indian store or online. ‘Chaats’ are a category of Indian street snack foods that are so named because they make one want to lick the plate clean. ‘Chaatna’ means ‘to lick’.

Pat

what is chat masala?

Laurel

Most often, split chickpeas aka garbanzos. Yes, you can buy them that way in an Indian grocery store, maybe a middle eastern store. Some people feel the term interchangeable with yellow spilt peas. I always think of chana as chickpeas.

Dave Starns

To anybody that's made this, did you find it superior enough to a storebought, jarred green chutney containing chaat masala to justify the work of making it?

Sarah

Agree that the split chick peas won't blend in with a food processor. I put it in the vitamix and it finally did - but grinding them first may be a better option.

Anna S

I was not able to blend the Channa properly in the food processor, had to use the Vitamix. The chutney is good, but definitely on the spicy side. I reduced the number of chilis and next time will probably only use one.

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