Indian Vegetarian Recipe: Fresh Coconut Mint Chutney

Heavenly recipe adapted from 'The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking'

Coconut Mint Chutney is a staple of our diet, when fresh mint and fresh coconut are both plentiful, in late spring and summer. It tastes sublime!

I make a big batch, to keep in the fridge for a few days. We eat coconut mint chutney with dosas, Indian flatbreads which closely resemble French crêpes, and are made the same way.

If you don't have fresh coconut*, you can use dried if you soak it in water for a few hours. But you need fresh mint, ginger and jalapeno.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or more
• 3/4 cup grated fresh* or frozen coconut
• OR: 1/2 cup dried coconut soaked in 1 cup boiling water for 2 or more hours. Use the coconut soaking water in place of the 1/2 cup water called for in the recipe
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, lightly packed (strip them off the stems)
• 1 Tbsp seeded and chopped jalapeño pepper
• 1 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup water or coconut juice
• 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp unbl cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp rock salt

Chutney Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor
2. I find I get better results using a blender (my food processor is lame), but start on the lowest setting, or pulse to get it going
3. Blend until the chutney is pretty smooth (takes a while for coconut to break down)
4. Transfer to a storage container or serving dish

*Dealing with fresh coconut:

1. If this process sounds rather arduous, well ... it is. You may find it's worth it, when you eat this chutney. But if it seems like too much of an ordeal, dried coconut works well if you soak it
2. Secure the coconut on the top of a wide mouthed cup or jar. Pierce the two 'eyes' by tapping a screw driver into them with a hammer
3. Drain the liquid into a jar, through a fine strainer. You can use this liquid in the recipe or just drink it
4. Take the coconut outside to a sidewalk (or a concrete floor) and smash it with a hammer to break the coconut into several pieces
5. Plunge the pieces into boiling water for 3 - 5 minutes, then drain and dump them into a pot of cold water. This is called blanching, and it loosens the flesh from the shell
6. Drain the pieces of coconut, and pry the coconut meat off the shell with a sturdy knife or flat head screw driver
7. Grate the brown skin off the coconut, and rinse the pieces
8. Grate the coconut by hand with a medium fine grater, or in a food processor
9. Freeze what you don't use in small containers for future chutney, which - trust me! - you will want to make