Mint & Coriander Thogayal / Pudina Kothamalli Thogayal

Everyone in my family is a fan of mint. I am thankful for that, because I know some that hate the smell and flavor of mint! I can't even imagine how people could hate mint! Anyway, this is a very common side-dish that's prepared at home. My mom loves green chutneys and thogayals, and everything green, and she makes them well too (my husband has his answer for why I'm obsessed with all things green ;)). And pudina (mint) thogayal, cilantro thogayal, and curry-leaf thogayal are her specialties.

Now that summer is in full swing, there is no shortage of herbs, fruits, and vegetables, especially mint. They take over your yard in no time and are so hard to control or get rid of (if you really wanted to). So with fresh mint galore, this is a wonderful way to make a flavorful, fragrant condiment that perfumes the entire house as it cooks. Every year, I wait for summer to make rich mint chutneys and thogayals. So, here it is!

Please refer to the Glossary for more details on the Indian ingredients listed here. 

Ingredients (makes 1.75 - 2 cups of thogayal)

1. 8 cups of loosely packed mint leaves (seems like a lot but will wilt)
2. 2.5 cups loosely packed coriander leaves / cilantro
3. 1/4 cup split husked black gram / ulutham paruppu / urad dal
4. 2-3 dry red chillies
5. 4 tablespoons sesame oil
6. 1/2 inch ball of tamarind soaked in hot water that just covers it
7. 1 teaspoon grated jaggery
8. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
9. 1/4 teaspoon hing / asafoetida
10. salt, as needed

Preparation:

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. When hot, add black gram, red chillies and hing and fry on medium heat until the gram is golden brown. Remove from heat and cool
2. When cool, grind together: mint leaves, cilantro, the fried black gram-hing-chillies, salt, ginger, jaggery, and the tamarind along with the water in which it was soaked (soak for 20 minutes). Grind to make a paste, by just sprinkling more water if required. Be careful not to add too much water. 
3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of sesame oil. When hot, add the ground paste and fry/cook on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the paste turns thick and dark brownish-green in color from the bright green it was. The oil will also separate when it's done. Remove from heat and cool.

Serve with rice or roti. It can be mixed with rice for an awesome flavored rice. It can also be had as a side dish with roti or yogurt rice. You can also make an awesome sandwich using this thogayal as a spread on bread.

If there is extra, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.  The more sesame oil you add, the more you extend the shelf-life.

A variation:
Here's an easier, generic Indian version of green chutney that requires no cooking. Grind mint leaves (quantity mentioned above), coriander leaves (quantity mentioned above), 1" block of ginger, 2-3 garlic cloves, 2-3 green chillies,  salt, and a hint of lemon juice to make a bright chutney that is the consistency of pesto (that is not as thick as this thogayal).