Chutneys

Chutneys are versatile and can be altered according to your taste and meal you’re serving them with.

Carefully wash the cilantro and mint, then cut off and discard the bottom half of the stems, retaining the leafy part of the stems at the top of the bunches. 

Put the cilantro, mint, onion, tomatoes, chiles and ginger into a blender and blend to your desired texture, adding the oil and the salt as you blend. I prefer my chutney to be completely smooth. 

You can serve your chutney at this stage as it is, or alternatively, you can mix it into plain yogurt for a lighter yogurt-based chutney. 

This will keep for 2-3 days stored in the fridge. 

Char your vegetables either in a hot oven or directly on your gas stove top as follows.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 240 degrees Celsius (475 degrees Fahrenheit). On a lined baking sheet, lay out the tomatoes and onion. Wrap the garlic in a foil and place on the pan, then roast until the vegetables begin to char, for 15–20 minutes.

Stove: Place the vegetables directly over a low flame (leave the onion whole if choosing this method and wrap the garlic in foil). Rotate them regularly to prevent burning. 

Put the charred veggies into a blender with the Kashmiri chiles, desiccated coconut, tamarind sauce and sea salt flakes. Blend until smooth, then season with more sea salt to your taste. 

Store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to a week. 

Reprinted with permission from
Desified: Delicious Recipes for Ramadan, Eid & Every Day
Zaynah Din.
Interlink Books, 2024. 
interlinkbooks.com.

Zaynah Din is an award-winning digital marketer, content creator and passionate home cook. She started ZaynahsBakes in 2016, and in one year, it transformed from a local cupcake business into an Instagram page with more than 25,000 followers. Din’s ethos is to create recipes that are convenient and quick to make—perfect for those fasting but also handy throughout the year for an easy meal.