MORE HERBS, LESS SALT (FT. A FRESH GREEN CHUTNEY RECIPE)

 
 
 
 

Of all the billions of calendar days in the year — both regional and worldwide, this one caught my eye: More Herbs, Less Salt Day in late August. Growing up, salt was a scary beast in the media. While there is way too much of it in premade dishes (as well as hidden sugars and a whole host of other things you wouldn't think were in a microwave chicken korma or belonged in a bag of crisps), table salt, a refined food product, likewise has its issues and can have additives, whereas salt harvested from nature contains many micronutrients that can help balance the body, and helps prevent dehydration. Whilst “salt” was expressly positioned as “bad,” what wasn’t broken down at the time was the difference between them.

If you’ve ever tasted table salt side by side with an unrefined salt, e.g. rock salt, Himalayan rock salt or sea salt, you’ll be aware of quite how different they are in taste. And that taste as we understand it from Vedic wisdom also impacts your body. I’m a fan of real salt — just enough to get those taste buds watering and that Agni lively, but it’s not the only flavour we should be looking to include in a well-balanced meal, so what I loved about More Herbs Less Salt Day was the reminder to make use of herbs as much as we can.

Enter this — my super herby green chutney (find it on page 229 of East by West shared with dhokla… yum, dhokla) which includes all six of the flavour profiles recommended by Ayurveda to include in a meal: bitter, sweet, salty, pungent, astringent and sour, for overall satisfaction and wellbeing. It was inspired by the many green chutneys I have tasted on Ayurvedic lunches and on Ayurveda retreats, and have also been drawn to on Indian menus where it balances out the heat from chillies. This simple blend of coriander, sometimes with mint and sometimes without (sometimes with parsley if I have that and it needs using up!), whizzed up with lime, ginger, honey, some sunflower seeds to make it thick and creamy, optional green chilli for a pungent bite and, of course, a bit of sea salt to round out all those flavours.

This is my impressive (I mean, you literally press blend) go-to sauce, chutney, dip, side, topping to my almost daily dal and rice or kitchari, pan-fried fish, a cheesy bake, frittata, curries… you name it. It just completes a meal. Freshly eaten is best, but if you have leftovers (that weren’t double dipped, hard, I know) or you have to make it in advance, then store in a super clean jar with lid and layer a couple of millimetres of extra virgin olive oil over the top before sealing and refrigerating. Eat within three days.

 

INGREDIENTS

60g fresh coriander
½ tsp sea salt
1cm (½ in) piece fresh ginger
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp raw honey
6 tbsp water
30g sunflower seeds, toasted
1 green chilli, chopped (optional)

METHOD

1.Blend all the ingredients apart from the chilli in a blender until smooth. Little by little, add the fresh chilli, if using, until you get the spice level you want. Check the seasoning and add more salt or lime juice if required.

East by West tips

 
 
 
SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, DIPS & PICKLESJasmine Hemsley