Rice Seasoned with Cilantro Chutney (Cilantro Pesto)

Coriander chutney or Cilantro Pesto goes well with all Indian North Indian and South Indian Snacks, all kinds of Chaat, Papadum or chapati. It is suitable for refrigeration and freezes fairly well. It pairs extremely well with meat and many vegetarian preparations and is commonly served as a condiment with a wide variety of dishes in Indian cuisine. It is an item that is prepared in almost each and every Indian household and kitchen with many variations.



When plain rice is seasoned with this pesto, taste of the rice is out of this world and can be served as side dish with Indian or Mexican meals.

First make the plain white Basmati or any long grain rice following recipe on this blog on following link.

http://surekha-myrecipescollection.blogspot.com/2010/12/plain-white-rice.html




You can make the white rice in rice cooker if you wish.
Make sure once rice is cooked separate the grains by gently  tossing in with little butter or olive oil with wooden spatula .


Set is aside and let it cool.



Now make the Pesto or Chutney following this recipe.

Ingredients for Chutney:


* 2 bunch of coriander leaves and stems (cilantro)

* 2-4 green chillies/Jalapenos (you may cut down or add depending on desired heat)

* 1 small onion

* 1/2" piece of ginger peeled (optional)

* 1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)

* salt to taste

* juice of 1 large fresh lime

* 2 tbls spoon of plain yogurt or sour cream

* Salt to taste

* 1 teaspoon of ground cumin powder (optional)


Method:

* Wash the coriander/cilantro leaves with stems.

* In a food processor finely grind garlic, ginger, onion, chillies and optional items if adding those.

* Add Cilantro, yogurt, salt, sugar, cumin powder and lime juice and grind everything together.

* Blend to a fine paste to desired consistency, I like mine ground to really fine paste.

Once cooked rice is cool, follow these steps:

* Take two cups of plain cooked Rice in a serving bowl
* Add 1/4 cup or desired amount of pesto/chutney to the rice.
* Gently toss with silicone or wooden spatula until rice is evenly and generously coated with
pesto and has nice green color.
Serve at room temp with desired meals.



May want to make this in small batches just enough for desired serving sizes as it will loose it color and fresh flavor or cilantro if you warm it up or reheat it.

Coriander chutney description source: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Coriander_Chutney
http://en.wikibooks.org//wiki/Wikibooks:Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License

Recipe and Photographs by Surekha.