Mint & Parsley Chili Chutney & an Indian snack

A few weekends ago I went over to my friend Sangeetha's house for brunch, followed by what else: shopping!

It was great to see her new house, catch up, and taste some wonderful Indian food that she prepared for me.

One of the dishes at the brunch table was a bowl of puffed rice with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and a few chutneys.

One of the chutneys was made with cilantro, mint, chili, garlic and a bit of yogurt. Another was a tamarind-date chutney.

It was refreshing, fun to eat and really colorful. Before we headed out to Old Town for some shopping therapy, Sangeetha gave me a container of this puffed rice to do with as I pleased at home.

So last weekend I decided to recreate the dish and have it for breakfast.

Alas, not only did my grocery store not have either the chili or tamarind chutneys, they also did not have fresh cilantro. I had to just make do with what I had in my refrigerator.

Mint & Parsley Chili Chutney

Ingredients
1 handful mint, chopped
1 handful parsley, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 chili pepper, chopped {use more if you like more heat}
salt to taste
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
juice of one lemon

Directions
1. In a food processor puree all of the ingredients.
2. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.

And now for the rest of the snack: chop tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion.

Combine with the puffed rice.

Mix in the chutney and eat immediately.

The mint/parsley/chili chutney is also great added to potato or tuna salads, spread on a sandwich or even mixed with eggs.

Have a wonderful weekend!