This Guava Leaf Chutney was born in the quest of using all that is growing in my garden and my love of chutneys.
Honestly, I didn’t know that Guava leaves were edible until recently. And once I figured it out, I had to use it in a chutney. Hence the Guava Leaf Chutney was born.
Guava, a tropical fruit, a household name now but was never native to India. It was brought to us through travellers all the way from Mexico, South America. Although guava is one of those fruits which can still be called seasonal but not for long. Most people who have independent houses with a garden to spare have guava trees in them. The fruit especially eaten with a little bit of salt and chilli powder is pure nostalgia. But the story ended there for me.
But then I realised the Guava leaves were edible. Not really a culinary delicacy, but still known for its medicinal and nutritional properties. The traditional medicine practitioners of Mexico believe that young leaves of the guava tree can be brewed into magical tea that can reduce cholesterol, acne, boosts immunity, helps you sleep better etc. Just boil the guava leaves in hot water and let it steep before you drink it.
So I decided to use it in my chutney just like curry leaves. Saute the leaves until it turns pale green and ground it with the rest of the ingredients. The guava flavour you get is so subtle, a very very mild sweetness coming through as an aftertaste. It is perfect with idlies which my whole family loves.
If you make this chutney , do share a picture with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you have to say about it.
And before you go, here is a interesting Guava salad recipe for you.
Guava Leaf Chutney
Equipment
- Mixer
- Kadhai
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Guava Leaf tightly packed
- 1/2 cup Coconut grated
- 5 Curry Leaves
- 1/4 tsp Urad Dal
- 1/4 tsp Channa Dal
- 1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp
- 1/2 tsp Ginger
- 1/ tsp Jaggery
- 3 Green Chilli
- 1 tsp Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Firstly, wash the guava leaves and make sure to use tender leaves only.
- Tear the leaves getting rid of the midrib.
- Heat a pan with a tsp of oil and lightly saute the leaves, just until pale green.
- Temper curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal.
- Add everything to a blender with a little bit of water and blitz to a chutney consistency.
- You can add the tempering on top of the chutney or blend it with everything else.
- Check for seasoning as always and balance.
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