CULANTRO TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE

First of all my hearty thanks to everyone who wished /Blessed my son on his Birthday.  We had wonderful day !!!  Ok coming to the post I am posting " Culantro Tomatillo Salsa Verde "  Freshness of herb, spiciness and tanginess sure this would be a perfect dip for all kinds of chips, topping for tostadas, Enchilada etc.  Tomatillo verde is one of the dip we like so much.  So I combined this Culantro with tomatillo verde which tasted so fresh and awesome.  But before using this for making Salsa Verde I was using culantro for making chutney which is so yummy and we love it.  I will post that soon. Culantro and cilantro are different.  Here is the brief about culantro and Tomatillo.  Hope you all enjoy reading and offcourse my virtual treat :)

Brief about Culantro :

The appearance of culantro and cilantro are different but the leaf aromas are similar, although culantro is more pungent. Because of this aroma similarity the leaves are used interchangeably in many food preparations and is the major reason for the misnaming of one herb for the other.In Latin America, culantro is mostly associated with the cooking style of Puerto Rico, where recipes common to all Latin countries are enhanced with culantro. The most popular and ubiquitous example is salsa, a spicy sauce prepared from tomatoes, garlic, onion, lemon juice, with liberal amounts of chiles. These constituents are fried and simmered together, mixed to a smooth paste and spiced with fresh herbs including culantro. 

Salsa is usually consumed with tortilla chips as an appetizer. Equally popular is sofrito or recaito, the name given to the mixture of seasonings containing culantro and widely used in rice, stews, and soups.  Culantro is reported to be rich in calcium, iron, carotene, and riboflavin. The plant is used in traditional medicines for fevers and chills, vomiting, diarrhea, and in Jamaica for colds and convulsions in children . The leaves and roots are boiled and the water drunk for pneumonia, flu, diabetes, constipation, and malaria fever. The root can be eaten raw for scorpion stings and in India the root is reportedly used to alleviate stomach pains. The leaves themselves can be eaten in the form of a chutney as an appetite stimulant.

Brief about Tomatillo :

The tomatillo is a plant of the tomato family, related to the cape gooseberry, bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos, referred to as green tomato (Spanish: tomate verde) in Mexico, are a staple in Mexican cuisine.
In many areas of Mexico the domesticated tomatillo is called tomate and the wild version called miltomate and what we know as tomato is called jitomate.

The tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk formed from the calyx. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest. The husk turns brown, and the fruit can be any of a number of colors when ripe, including yellow, red, green, or even purple. Tomatillos are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces. The freshness and greenness of the husk are quality criteria. Fruit should be firm and bright green, as the green colour and tart flavour are the main culinary contributions of the fruit.

CULANTRO TOMATILLO SALSA VERDE
 

Ingredients :

Tomatillo - 6 to 7 (Remove the husk and wash thoroughly)
Culantro - 15 sprigs
Cilantro - 1 handful
Garlic - 2 pod
Onion - 1 1/2 tbsp
Jalapeno - 2 ( But if you want less spicy then reduce to 1 or 1 1/2)
Salt - as needed
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp (this is to balance the tanginess of the tomatillo, u can also reduce this if u want)

Method :

1.  Quarter the tomatillo and broil it in the oven till the skin is lightly browned and tomatillo is soft. ( it just takes around 15 to 20 minutes)
2. Cool it.
3. Now blend other ingredients to coarse paste.
4. To that add the cooled tomatillo and use pulser to blend to coarse and chunky paste.  Add water if necessary.
5.  Check for salt.  And transfer it in the airtight container.
6.  You can keep this in fridge for upto 10 days.

Dip for chip is ready !!! Enjoy the freshness !!!