Cilantro Chutney

Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions- the season, time of day, and how you are feeling and the state of your health.

The first time I got a taste of cilantro I was a teenager at a Dim Sum with friends one Sunday afternoon in Toronto’s Chinatown. The cilantro was embedded in the white rolled up steamed, slippery looking dough. I was not a fan of the dish, and my expert friend said it was likely because of the cilantro. Later on I learned the dish is called Cheung Fun, and now all grown up with a more mature palate I have grown to like the taste of cilantro, especially made into this chutney.

Grown from coriander seeds, cilantro has delicate green leaves. The sweetness of the dates and sour taste of lime juice balances the flavour and cooling quality of cilantro. In this tasty condiment, cilantro takes on a whole different meaning too in Ayurveda.

Health Benefits

This recipe is a version I learned from my Ayurvedic teacher, Vaidya Mishra. Cilantro chutney can be added to grains, vegetables or protein. I have served it as a sweet tangy topping on starters too! Coriander and cilantro have the ability to eliminate toxins that have made their way into the deeper tissues. In Ayurveda, we have seven tissue layers- blood plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and reproductive fluid. Our environment has gotten quite polluted with toxins, and our food contain pesticides and chemical preservatives that pollute our bodies.

If you’d like to learn more about Ayurveda and safe and effective therapeutic self-care and cleanses, I and a team of Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda educators conduct on-line courses. Click here to register for the next on-line course.

Cilantro Chutney

Yield: ½ cup chutney
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: None

Ingredients

½ cup cilantro leaves, not tightly packed

2 medjool dates pitted, soaked in 1⁄4 cup water

2 tsps fresh lime juice- about 1 lime

1⁄8 tsp soma salt or natural salt

¼ cup mint leaves (optional)

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

directions

1. Remove pits, and soak dates in a bowl with water for 5 minutes to soften them.

2. If using a small food processor, place all ingredients in the container and blend until a smooth paste forms. You may need to open the lid a few times and scrape the sides.

3. If using a bowl or mortar and pestle, first cut up the cilantro leaves finely, and mix all ingredients together with the pestle or spoon.

Enjoy!

References

Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015