Mint has a very distinct flavour compared to coriander leaves or cilantro, which is a staple herb in every Indian kitchen.
In the part of the world were we live, we don't get mint that commonly in the market as we find the other herbs. So we tend to use it rarely and only when its an unavoidable ingredient .like say for Biriyani. I would say mint flavour is the heart of a tasty chicken biriyani...
But luckily, the place we stayed earlier, we had a abundant mint supply in the backyard itself. After months long of dead winter, one fine day i would wake up to see this surprising new sprigs of mint. The first time I saw it, i was totally taken aback.really, how did it survive this severe winter and snow. I used to have a lot of them that I could share a bunch every now and then with my friends too.Our house used to smell heavenly when we cut a fresh bunch of them.

Because of limited availability, my options with mint were also limited, say in biriyani and this mint chutney occasionally.
Now since I had this surplus mint supply, went out looking for more ways to use it.
And found a delicious thogayal (chutney like paste) at rakskitchen. My mom had made it a couple of times earlier and I had liked it then. So thought of giving it a try. And it is good. I like the tang of this thogayal. It refreshes you :)
Easy to put together, a very few ingredients too
Goes well with Idli, dosa, also as a condiment with rice.
Can be used to dress up a plain old cracker or a toast too, more like a spread.

Pudina thogayal / Mint thogayal (Mint chutney)

By Nikki
Published 10/23/2014
Adapted from here

Ingredients

• Mint leaves: I cup (tightly packed)
• Whole red chillies: 10-12 nos
• Urad daal: 2 tbsp
• Grated coconut: 2 tbsp
• Tamarind: a small piece (in size of a gooseberry)/ 1/2 tsp, if using paste
• Jaggery: 1 tsp
• Salt: 1 1/2 tsp

Instructions

1. Place a nonstick pan on medium heat and dry roast whole chillies and urad daal until it turns golden brown.
2. Add the mint leaves and tamarind and cook for a minute, until the leaves wilt and reduce in volume.
3. Let the mixture cool down, once cooled, grind it into a smooth paste along with grated coconut, jaggery and salt.

Mint chutney / Pudina chutney with coconut recipe

I love backyard gardens. I always wanted to have a backyard garden ever since I got married. Not that I have one now, but these days we live in the ground floor, and I have a little space around our patio, which i try to turn into a small vegetable garden.

I have got this from my mom.Have you ever wondered how most of our habits, likes, dislikes, we get from our parents.I guess, that is what these genes do, huh?

My mom always keeps here backyard garden active with the seasonal plants. And I have seen her proudly sharing her farm fresh produce with her neighbors :)

Surprisingly this spring, I started seeing a few mint plants in my so called garden, which gradually took over the entire space. I said surprisingly, because I didn't plant them. I assume the previous tenant would have had some, but this is the first time I am seeing mint leaves spreading like weeds.

Anybody passing by smells these wonderful herb, and asks me, is that mint (read, can I have some of those mint leaves)

Even I share much of it with my neighbors, because i use mint only for biriyani and bombay sandwich chutney. (now you see the genes thing I said above, right ;)

I usually make coriander chutney for dosa and idli. But have tasted the mint chutney in some authentic Tamil restaurants.I love the tang of this chutney.

Now that I had some much of mint leaves on hand, I made this chutney for a change. I liked it.

Here is the recipe.

You'll need:

Mint leaves: 3/4 cup (loosely packed)

Grated coconut: 3/4 cup

Roasted gram daal (Pottukadalai) : 2 tbsp

Ginger: a small piece

Tamarind: a small piece

Green chilli: 3-4 nos

Salt: as per taste 

How to make:

Wash and drain the mint leaves.

Heat a pan on medium-low flame and saute the mint leaves, until it shrinks in volume.

Grind together the mint leaves, grated coconut, gram dal, green chillis, ginger, tamarind and enough salt.

Add a few tbsps of water, just enough to blend all the ingredients together.

Serve with dosa or idli.

Enjoy!

P.S: If diluted, the chutney can be used as a dip for samosa, pakoda and all.