Basic Green Paste

Before almost anything else in North Indian cooking, before the chaat is assembled, before the tandoori marinade is made, before the street vendor hands over a plate of samosa, there is this paste. Coriander, mint, ginger, green chilli, blended with the minimum water required to make the blender work. It is the baseline from which a dozen different chutneys, marinades, and flavouring pastes in the subcontinent begin.

In its simplest form it is a chutney: spooned beside pakoras, smeared inside a roll, stirred into yogurt to make a raita. Used concentrated and not thinned, it serves as a marinade base for tandoori and tikka preparations, providing the green colour and herbaceous aromatics that characterise that entire family of dishes. Mixed with yogurt, it becomes a mint raita. Mixed with tamarind water, it becomes the green layer in a chaat.

The proportions here (roughly equal parts coriander and mint, with substantial ginger and green chilli) produce a paste that is bright, sharp, and hot. Adjust the chilli quantity to your tolerance and the balance of coriander to mint to your preference. Make it in a larger quantity than you need. It keeps in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for three months, and you will find yourself reaching for it constantly.