Hot Green Chili Sauce

My copy of Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi spends nearly as much time on my desk as it does on my kitchen bookshelf. Commonly referred to as the bible of Indian cuisine in my house, this book contains a wealth of valuable information on Indian cooking traditions, in addition to providing cooks with a seemingly endless range of ideas for Indian meals. My latest excursion into Ms. Devi's book found me flipping through the Chutneys, and Sauces and Relishes chapters. I was looking for a condiment to serve along with the Baked Paneer and Chickpea Cutlets I had planned. I settled on a Hot Green Chili Sauce that I have modified somewhat from the original recipe. The tomatoes are only cooked for a short period of time over low heat making this a very fresh tasting sauce that turned out to be the perfect spicy accompaniment to the cutlets. I enjoyed it the next day with some samosas and look forward to trying it with other Indian snacks and pastries.

Hot Green Chili Sauce

5-6 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped
1/3 cup of fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of oil or butter
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of asafetida powder
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice

In a blender or food processor, combine the jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, ginger, coriander, and salt.

Heat the oil in a medium-large saucepan over medium-low heat. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds and stir and fry until they darken a few shades. Add the asafetida to the pan, stir and immediately add the tomato mixture to the pan. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the black pepper and lime juice. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Makes approximately 2 cups of sauce.

This is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.