Cilantro Ginger Chutney with Coconut

I recently invited guest posts from my network on twitter and Brazen Careerist and was overwhelmed and humbled to learn that so many amazing writers and bloggers had an interest in posting their recipes on OneLifeToEat! The next few weeks, I will be hosting guest posts from some of the most noted bloggers. This week, it is OneLifeToEat’s and my honor to host Grace Boyle of Small Hands Big Ideas fame. Read on to learn about her very simple recipe for a quick, India-inspired dip.

I grew up vegetarian with parents who loved Indian food. From a young age I was always sampling Indian cuisine and recently, have become particularly interested in preparing and cooking it (just ignore that I am Italian – I represent and love all cuisines!)

Each week a group of my friends get together for PotluckSunday. The location and host rotates as does the foodie theme. Our latest potluck involved everyone creating their own dip. I have worked on creating a Cilantro Ginger Coconut Chutney through various recipes, by taste testing and finding one that seems to fit just right, so I knew I wanted to prepare it for the group.

Cilantro Ginger Coconut Chutney

You Will Need:

• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1.5 cups of water
• 2 cups shredded coconut (not sweetened)
• 4-6 Serrano chiles (stemmed)
• A handful of fresh mint leaves
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• The juice of one lemon
• 1 piece fresh ginger, (1-1.5 inch-long) peeled, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Ingredients

Method:

Take your ingredients and put everything into a blender. Add the water last (and feel free to add more, as needed for liquid consistency). Blend until smooth and fine.

The total preparation time to serving the dish, is about 10-15 minutes.

Pour out into a bowl and serve cold. I garnish it with a mint leaf on top for the final presentation.

Optional Sides:

I love this dish because it is so simple yet delicious. The greens involved in this chutney create a delectable freshness.

I served my chutney with Naan. I visited my favorite Indian Grocery here in Boulder (suggested tip if one is available to you for some of the ingredients) and although I didn’t make my own Naan (here are a few great recipes) I bought my favorite brand: Tandoori Naan, then baked it in the oven (they were  originally hand stretched and baked in a traditional clay, Tandoori oven).

You could also serve this with a Paratha with the chutney on the side. Sabera has a delicious recipe she makes right here..

Needless to say, this cilantro ginger chutney with coconut was a hit. It has a little kick to it, depending on how many chili’s you use but it was devoured at the potluck and the flakey, warm naan topped it off.

Naan and Chutney

All photos taken by Grace Boyle.

Grace Boyle is a 20-something adventurista and passionate foodie. She lives in Boulder, CO and is the Publisher Services Manager for the tech startup, Lijit. Her own personal blog is Small Hands, Big Ideas and she tweets while she writes about the startup world, relationships, career and daily inspirations. She loves cooking, traveling, photography, wine, yoga and laughing.