Pudina is a powerhouse of flavour and health, be it in snacks, drinks, or even an entire dish, writes Jayanthi S
It is a wonder ingredient that packs a punch to any preparation. It is loaded with flavours and medicinal properties too. Well, we are talking of the ubiquitous mint leaves, popularly known as 'pudina' in most Indian languages.
These deep green leaves lend themselves equally well to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. From the simple chutney to go with pakodas and samosas to hariyali kababs that are coated with a thick paste of herbs and spices, pudina makes its presence felt quite subtly, tickling tastebuds and satiating our appetite for a sensory feast too.
It is no exaggeration to say that pudina is a global ingredient as it is used not just in India, but across the world too. Most dishes, be they continental or Asian, use pudina in some form or the other - as garnish, marinade, coating or paste. The taste and aroma it lends to the dishes it is used in is almost unparalleled.
Chaatwalah at home!
Coming to our Indian cooking, we cannot think of our favourite chaats without pudina. The hugely popular pani-puri or golgappas taste best only when the pani is made of pudina. Though an alternative in the form of tamarind water is also used, regular chaat eaters swear by pudina pani.
Try this simple recipe for pudina pani at home and you'll stop visiting your neighbourhood chaatwalah:
Grind 1 ½ cups of pudina with 1 tbsp coriander, a piece of ginger, 3-4 green chillies, 1 tsp dry roasted cumin seeds and 1 ½ tsp black salt. To this ground paste, add about 2 tsp tamarind pulp, salt to taste and enough water; mix well and keep it in the refrigerator before serving it with puris.
Greenhouse warmth
Now that it's winter, the frequency of frying steaming hot pakodas will definitely increase, and how can an evening of pakodas and coffee be complete without pudina chutney?
Well, here's how you can make that heavenly pudina chutney:
Grind a few leaves of pudina with 2 green chillies, an inch-long ginger, a few sprigs of coriander and salt. Once ready, add a few drops of fresh lime juice for that added zing. Now dunk your pakodas in this chutney and enjoy like there's no tomorrow.
A variant of this chutney is a dip that will make a great accompaniment to kababs and tikkas. Grind all the ingredients mentioned above (except for lime juice) with a few spoons of hung curd and your dip is ready to be savoured with your favourite kababs and tikkas.
Greens in Non-Veg
Frankly speaking, most non-vegetarian preparations cannot do without pudina. Can you think of pulaos and biriyanis without pudina? And the ever-popular pudina chicken? Seems almost impossible, doesn't it?
Try this simple recipe for pudina chicken. Arguably, there is no better alternative to it when it comes to taste and flavour:
Make a marinade out of a cup of curds, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt, and marinate about ½ a kilo chicken in it for about an hour. Grind a bunch of pudina, a few sprigs of coriander, 2 medium sized onions, 4-5 green chillies, a stick of cinnamon, 4-5 cloves, 1 tsp peppercorn and 2 tsp coriander powder. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed pan, add the ground masala to it and fry it till the oil separates.
Add the marinated chicken to it, cover it with a lid, and let it cook on a low flame for about 30 minutes. Garnish it with fried cashewnuts for that extra flavour.
Well, pudina doesn't just lend extra flavour to the recipe, but is a well-known digestive too. So, every reason to use it in every form possible.