Weekend Herb Blogging: Green Cilantro Chutney and Omelet Masala

Well, that may not be the most appetizing picture, but it's quite an accomplishment when you consider that I couldn't see what I was doing when I cooked or photographed it.   This morning I saw Nigella Lawson on the Today Show making a dish called Bang Bang Chicken while she talked about her new series on The Food Network.  Extreme elation ensued!  I've been wondering when she would be back on television.  So, I decided to make her recipe, Green Cilantro Chutney and Omelet Masala, for Weekend Herb Blogging.  Unfortunately, I had a late afternoon appointment for an eye exam, where my eyes were dilated, and it wound up causing me to see everything in a sort of colorful haze.  Please go over to the lovely Kalyn's site and see what the other Weekend Bloggers have cooked up for your enjoyment. You'll be glad you did!

I intended to make chapati to wrap around the omelet.   But, I realized that would be a bad idea, as I've never made them before and choosing to do so when I was visually impaired might be a problem.  Instead, I used the only thing in my pantry--tortillas.  The chutney tasted very nice with the omelet.  I used all of the jalapeno peppers, which didn't make the sauce as hot as you might think.  The chutney recipe makes a large amount, which will be very nice to use in other dishes.

Green Cilantro Chutney  (Nigella Lawson)

1-5 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves peeled

1/3 cup coconut milk, to taste

1 large bunch of cilantro

4 springs of mint

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of sugar

juice of 3 limes

Put the peppers, ginger, garlic, and coconut milk in a food processor and puree to a paste.  Add the cilantro and mint and pulse again until the herbs are blended.  Add salt and sugar, and with motor running add the juice from two and one half of the limes. Taste to see if you want to add the juice from the remaining half of lime. 

Put in a jar and refrigerate. It will hold for up to a month.  It will solidify, but will liquefy at room temperature.

Masala Omelet

Ingredients:
    •     1 tsp vegetable oil
    •     1 spring onion sliced finely
    •     1-2 chillies to taste, red or green
    •     1 clove garlic, microplaned or finely chopped
    •     1/4 tsp turmeric
    •     1 tsp ground cumin
    •     1 tsp ground coriander
    •     2 eggs, beaten
    •     freshly chopped coriander for sprinkling over
    •     chapatis to eat with, if you feel like it

Instructions:

Preheat the grill.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan 9-10 inches in diameter and fry the spring onion, chili and turmeric until soft. Add the other spices and fry for another minute stirring occasional, then add the beaten eggs, swirling the pan to help the eggs set underneath.

When the omelet is nearly set, flash it under a hot grill to finish it off, and serve with cilantro and chapattis.

Serves 1

Comments

[Alanna]

What a terrific combination! Love the chutney, especially! AK

[kristi]

Great picture! And Nigella's coming back? When? What's the show called? I'm so excited!

[sher]

Alanna,

Thanks, the chutney is very nice. I have a LOT of it left, which is good. It would be nice on potatoes too, I bet.

Kristi,

The name of Nigella's new show will be called Nigella Feasts. Not sure if this is totally new or one that already was shown in the UK and will be new to North American viewers. I don't know the air date. I'm sure The Food Network will let us know. It's exciting!

[Sonali]

This looks really good, Sher. You're trying out more & more Indian flavors...glad you liked them !

[kalyn]

I am completely nuts about cilantro chutney so I can't wait to try it. In fact, just a few days ago a reader sent an e-mail asking me if I had seen a recipe for it!!

[sher]

Sonali,

Oh yes--I love Indian food!

Kalyn,

This one was very easy to make, and I think it's getting better as it ages in the fridge!

[Catherine]

Gotta try that cilantro chutney!

[Saffron Hut]

oh, that looks yummy! that is a wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

Thanks for visiting my blog! see you around!

cheers!

[Ruth]

I love cilantro and can't wait to try out the chutney.

Thanks for sharing.

[eqj (the chocolate lady)]

This looks delicious!

[sher]

Catherine,

I still have a ton of it in my fridge--gotta use it!!!

Ahh Saffron Hut!! You have such a pretty dish today on your site.

Ruth,

I am always amazed when I remember that I didn't like cilantro at all when I first tasted it. It took me over a year to like it--then I fell in love.

Chocolate Lady!!!

Hi!!! I learned so much about chick peas the other day from your site. Who knew?