Chutneys of India – Day 4 – Goan Sandwich Chutney
Goan sandwich chutney
What began as a green chutney to enhance the taste of the humble sandwich has today emerged to have many variants all over the country. This versatile green chutney is used in chaats; eaten along with pakora and bajji; and of course slathered on bread and pav for sandwiches and vada pav.
The basic recipe is a finely ground paste of a bunch of green coriander, a small piece of ginger, salt, sugar and lemon juice. The chutney turns dark or black if lemon juice is inadequate. Goans add some shallots, garlic and vinegar. No water is added while grinding it.
The Gujaratis of Mumbai lifted this chutney up by adding fresh mint, roasted jeera and a handful of sev. The sev binds the chutney together. The Parsis added a few roasted peanuts instead. The Marwaris took out the garlic and onion, and increased the amount of mint and roasted jeera. At Indore they add some tomatoes and raw peanuts. In UP they add raw mangoes instead of lemon juice. In Punjab, they add green onions and vinegar.
And thus the green chutney now belongs to all of India. The idea is to just grind fresh green ingredients and balance out the spice and the sour.
Mine today has coriander and mint from the garden, black salt, roasted jeera powder and sugar, lemon juice, sev, ginger and bruised coriander stems.