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Indian · III The Pantry

Mint

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I

Origin

Mint, of the genus Mentha, is a plant of the Mediterranean and western Asian world, and spearmint, Mentha spicata, is the garden species used in Indian kitchens. It is carried above all by the kitchens of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad, where it belongs to the chutney, the raita and the finishing of rice dishes, and it is grown in household pots and kitchen gardens across the country.

II

Description

Mint in the Indian kitchen is used in quantity rather than as a garnish. It is ground in large handfuls into fresh chutneys, beaten into yoghurt for raita, and stirred or layered through biryanis and pulaos as a finishing leaf. The garden species is spearmint, Mentha spicata, and it is set beside chilli as a fresh, sharp counterpoint to heat, in the green chutney, in pudina raita and in the salted drinks of the north.

III

The Thread

—Both use mint by the handful as a main herb rather than a garnish, so that its freshness carries the dish. In tabbouleh it sits with parsley, bulgur and lemon; in the Indian chutney it is ground with green chilli, coriander and often yoghurt or lime. Lebanese
—Mint stirred through cold yoghurt, as in Turkish cacık, rests on the same principle as the Indian raita: a dairy base and a cooling herb set against salt and heat. Cacık is thinner and often carries cucumber and garlic, while pudina raita is thicker and is commonly seasoned with roasted cumin. Turkish
—Persian rice dishes layer fresh herbs through steamed rice, as the Hyderabadi and Lucknowi kitchens scatter mint over biryani and pulao. The Persian method folds the herbs into the rice itself, whereas the Indian finish is a layer of leaves placed between the meat and the rice before sealing. Persian
IV

Flavour Context

Mint is eaten with the fried and the grilled: samosa, pakora, seekh kebab and tandoori meats, where a green chutney cuts the fat, and with biryani and pulao, where it lies against rich rice and meat. It is stirred into yoghurt as raita for chilli-hot dishes, and it is drunk in salted lassi and in jaljeera, the cumin and tamarind water of the north. The structural reason is contrast: its clean, sharp aroma sets itself against fat, salt and chilli heat and refreshes the palate between mouthfuls.

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