Roasted Tomatillo Green Chutney with Cumin and Lime

Name: Roasted Tomatillo Green Chutney with Cumin and Lime
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1½ lb (680 g) tomatillos, husked, rinsed, dried and halved; 1 medium (about 6 oz) (170 g) white onion, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) wedges; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, left unpeeled; 2 medium (60 g) jalapeño peppers, stemmed and halved lengthwise, seeds removed for milder heat; 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil; 2 tsp (4 g) cumin seeds; 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar; 1 tsp (4 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; ½ cup (120 ml) water; 1 packed cup (leaves and tender stems) (30 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped; 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lime juice, from about 2 limes; 1 tsp (2 g) lime zest, finely grated, from 1 lime before juicing

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tomatillos are broiled until blistered and jammy, then simmered briefly with toasted cumin, onion, jalapeño and a little sugar. Cilantro and lime juice stirred in at the end keep it bright. Spoon it over grilled meats, tacos, eggs or cheese boards.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Wait: 20 min
Total: 1 hr 15 min
Makes: About 2 cups (480 ml), 8 servings of ¼ cup

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the chutney
1½ lb (680 g) tomatillos, husked, rinsed, dried and halved
1 medium (about 6 oz) (170 g) white onion, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) wedges
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, left unpeeled
2 medium (60 g) jalapeño peppers, stemmed and halved lengthwise, seeds removed for milder heat
1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil
2 tsp (4 g) cumin seeds
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp (4 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ cup (120 ml) water
To finish
1 packed cup (leaves and tender stems) (30 g) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lime juice, from about 2 limes
1 tsp (2 g) lime zest, finely grated, from 1 lime before juicing

Equipment (5)

Rimmed baking sheet, 13×18-inch (33×46 cm), lined with foil
Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, 3-quart (3 L)
Small dry skillet for toasting cumin
Food processor or blender
Clean 1-pint (500 ml) jar with lid

Steps

Before you start

Position an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler element and heat the broiler to high.
Peel the papery husks off the tomatillos and rinse off the sticky film under warm water, then dry them well.
Wear gloves when seeding the jalapeños, or wash your hands well afterward.
This chutney is thick and jam-like, not a thin salsa. Cooking it down is what concentrates the flavor.

1
Heat the broilerOven 500°F / 260°C
- Set an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler and heat the broiler to high (about 500°F / 260°C).
- Line a 13×18-inch (33×46 cm) rimmed baking sheet with foil.
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Ready when: Broiler element glows red
Tip: Foil makes cleanup easy because the tomatillo juices caramelize and stick.
2
Prep the vegetables
- Toss the tomatillo halves, onion wedges, unpeeled garlic and jalapeño halves with the oil on the baking sheet.
- Arrange the tomatillos cut side down and the jalapeños skin side up.
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Ready when: Vegetables are in a single layer with a little space between them
Tip: Don't crowd the pan. Crowding steams the vegetables instead of charring them.
3
Broil until blisteredOven 500°F / 260°C
- Broil at 500°F (260°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatillo skins are blistered with dark brown and black spots and have softened and slumped.
- Pull the pan out and check at 6 minutes, as broilers vary.
- Remove the garlic once the skins are spotty, usually after 6 to 8 minutes, and leave the rest on the pan until they are charred.
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Ready when: Tomatillos are slumped, juicy and blistered with charred spots; onion edges are browned
Tip: Stay near the oven. Broiler browning goes from perfect to burnt in under a minute.
4
Toast the cumin
- While the vegetables cool for 10 minutes, toast the cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pan often.
- Tip onto a plate and grind to a coarse powder with a mortar and pestle or the flat of a knife.
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Ready when: Seeds smell nutty and a shade darker
Tip: Pull the seeds off the heat as soon as they smell toasty. Burnt cumin tastes bitter.
5
Peel and blend
- Squeeze the garlic from its skins.
- Scrape the vegetables and all the pan juices into a food processor with the garlic.
- Pulse 6 to 8 times, until chunky with small bits remaining.
- It should look like a rough, textured purée and not a smooth sauce.
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Ready when: Chunky, spoonable purée with visible flecks of char
Tip: Include the charred bits. They give the chutney its smoky depth.
6
Simmer the chutney
- Scrape the purée into a 3-quart (3 L) saucepan.
- Add the ground cumin, sugar, salt and water.
- Bring to a bubble over medium heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring every few minutes, for 20 to 25 minutes.
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Ready when: Thick and jammy; a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a trail that closes slowly, and the volume is reduced by about a third
Tip: Partially cover if it spatters. Stir the bottom more often near the end to prevent scorching.
7
Finish with lime and cilantro
- Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the lime zest, lime juice and chopped cilantro.
- Taste and add up to ½ tsp more salt or a squeeze more lime if it tastes flat.
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Ready when: Bright green-olive color with a tangy, balanced flavor
Tip: Add the cilantro off the heat so it stays fresh-tasting and green.
8
Cool and jar
- Let the chutney cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a clean 1-pint (500 ml) jar.
- Chill for at least 1 hour for the flavors to meld, though it is also good warm.
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Ready when: Chutney is no longer steaming and has thickened slightly

Good to know

Tips

Choose firm, bright tomatillos with tight husks. Soft or yellowing ones can be overly sweet or mushy.
Tomatillos vary in tartness. Taste before adding the lime and balance with a pinch more sugar if the chutney is very sharp.
For a smoother chutney, blend for 20 to 30 seconds instead of pulsing. Add a splash of water if needed.
Serve with grilled chicken, pork carnitas, quesadillas, fried eggs, or as a dip with tortilla chips.

Make ahead

Make up to 5 days ahead; the flavor improves after a night in the fridge. Stir and loosen with a splash of water if it has thickened.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: up to 2 hours when serving. Fridge: up to 1 week in a sealed jar. Freezer: up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container, leaving ½ inch (1 cm) headspace; thaw overnight in the fridge. Serve cold, at room temperature, or warm gently in a saucepan over low heat. This is not a shelf-stable canning recipe.

Substitutions

cumin seeds → 1 tsp ground cumin. Stir it into the simmering chutney. Toasted whole seeds give a deeper flavor.
granulated sugar → 2 tbsp light brown sugar or honey. Adds a slightly deeper, rounder sweetness.
jalapeño peppers → 2 serrano peppers. Hotter, so seed them and use only 1 for a medium heat level.
fresh lime juice → 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Gives a sharper tang and slightly less citrus aroma.