Saturday, February 26, 2011

Green Mojo

Simona from Briciole is busy hosting both editions of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I thought I'd turn my attention to Coriander (Cilantro).

coriander© by Haalo


I'll be using this coriander to make a Green Mojo - mojo means sauce and these sauces have their origins in the Canary Islands. There are also red and orange versions but I've settled on this vibrant green variety - delicately spiced with ground cumin and a touch of smoked paprika.

Green Mojo© by Haalo


Green Mojo

2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
sea salt flakes
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
½-1 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
smoked paprika, to taste
sherry vinegar vinegar
olive oil


I've made this is a mortar and pestle - it takes less than a minute, you could also do this in a small food processor.

Place the garlic cloves and a pinch of sea salt flakes into your mortar - use the pestle to grind this into a smoothish paste. Sea salt flakes have a great cutting action and will turn the garlic into paste with very little effort.

Next add in the picked coriander leaves, using a pounding action to break the leaves up, then sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of ground cumin and a pinch of paprika. Use the pestle in a stirring action to form a rough amalgamated paste.

Pour in a little sherry vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil and continue stirring. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Finish off with enough oil to form a thick sauce - the consistency you're after is like a dipping sauce.

This sauce works well with fish and shellfish but also is a great match to potatoes - be they simply boiled or roasted in skin.

5 comments

  1. This is almost the recipe for the coriander/ coriander-mint chutney that accompanies a lot of North Indian snacks. Instead of vinegar, lime/lemon juic eis used.
    Looks beautiful!

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  2. I like the addition of cumin and smoked paprika. And I wonder how the recipe would work using parsley instead of coriander. I love the deep green color and also the small bowl in which you put it. Thank you!

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  3. This looks like an awesome recipe, I'll definitely try it in the future

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  4. So vibrant and I can just imagine the piquant aroma.

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  5. I've used this recipes several times, it is wonderful!

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