There is great variation in experiences of menopause throughout the world and none more so than for Indian women.
For women who continue to live in India, the Indian Menopause Society report that their symptoms may also go on for longer. This is because the average age of menopause of an Indian woman is 46.2 years – much less than their Western counterparts who experience menstrual cessation around the age of 51-52 years).
The reasons for this are numerous, and disparities arise when women living in traditional Indian societies don’t get the information that they deserve to have – this includes with understanding the powerful effect that dietary changes may have on health risk as they move from menopause into post-menopause.
New Zealand-Indian, Shaila Contractor, is no exception. When I first came across her, she told me about the Indian women she was engaging with in her local community, and how much she wanted to help them with their midlife symptoms and health.
As Shaila not only undertook my own Menopause Transformation programme, she realised that in my own recipe book, there was not much emphasis on specific recipes suitable to the Indian culture that followed the principles of dietary change for helping Indian women with symptom, weight and health-risk reduction.
This is when she approached me to ‘do something about it’. We designed a recipe book which meets the cultural needs of Indian women. Each recipe follows the principles for healthy ageing through the menopause transition.
This delicious and versatile Coriander Chutney recipe is one of her favourite recipes. I hope you enjoy it!
Shaila's Indian Coriander (Cilantro) Chutney
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of fresh coriander
- 2 or 1 fresh green chili – depending on how spicy you enjoy it.
- 1 small clove of garlic
- Small piece of fresh turmeric- available in fruit shops
- 2 tbsp of raw peanuts (substitute for other nuts if you are allergic to peanuts)
- Squeeze lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Wash the fresh coriander leaves thoroughly and chop them roughly. Remove the stems from the green chilies and chop them. Peel the garlic clove. Peel and chop the fresh turmeric into small pieces.
- In a blender or food processor, add the raw peanuts, chopped green chilies, garlic clove, and chopped fresh turmeric. Blend these hard ingredients into a coarse paste.
- Add the chopped fresh coriander leaves to the blender.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice.
- Optionally, add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors.
- Blend all the ingredients together until you get a smooth paste consistency.
- If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water to help it blend smoothly.
- Check the consistency of the chutney. If it’s too thick, you can add a bit more water or lemon juice to adjust.
- Taste the chutney and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt or lemon juice if needed.
- Transfer the coriander chutney to a serving bowl.
- Serve it as a dipping sauce with samosas, fritters, or any snacks of your choice.
- It can also be enjoyed as a spread on toast, with carrot sticks, or homemade chips.
- Enjoy the vibrant flavors of this homemade coriander chutney, packed with the freshness of coriander leaves and the heat of green chilies. Adjust the spiciness according to your taste preferences for a perfect accompaniment to your favorite snacks!
- This green chutney is versatile and can be used in many ways in salad dressing, sandwich, dip, sauce, rice seasoning.
