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Punjabi · Indian · Pakistani

Anardana chutney (dried pomegranate seed chutney)

Vegetarian

अनारदाना चटनी · anārdānā caṭnī

Sour dried pomegranate seeds soaked and ground with mint, coriander, green chilli and onion. A tangy, fruity green chutney from Punjab and the hills of Himachal and Jammu.

Anardana chutney (dried pomegranate seed chutney) is a Punjabi condiment from India, ready in about 45 minutes and made with anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) and mint. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
8
Level
Beginner
Calories
—

Ingredients

8 servings (about 30 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Spread the anardana (opens in a new tab) on a plate and pick out any stones or stalks. Soak it in the warm water for 30 minutes, until the seeds are soft and the water is pink.

  2. Step 2

    While it soaks, wash the mint (opens in a new tab) and coriander well, pick the mint leaves off their stalks, and chop the onion, chilli and ginger.

    An onion being chopped on a board
    How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Blend the anardana (opens in a new tab) with its soaking water, the onion, chilli, ginger, cumin and salt to a coarse paste; the seeds have hard kernels, so give it a minute in short bursts.

  4. Step 4

    Add the mint (opens in a new tab) and coriander and blend again in pulses until the chutney is thick and nearly smooth, with a slight grit from the seeds.

  5. Step 5

    Taste: add sugar (opens in a new tab) only if it is mouth-puckeringly sour, and more salt if it tastes flat. Chill before serving.

About this dish

Origin
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu, Punjab, India · Commonly attributedAnardana comes from the sour wild pomegranate (daru) of the western Himalaya, and this chutney is made across Punjab (on both sides of the border), Himachal and Jammu. Ingredients are consistent between sources; proportions vary.Also popular in PakistanMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Dips & spreads
Cooking method
Blended, No-cook
Taste
sour, fruity, herby, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Paleo-style, No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Anardana (dried pomegranate seeds) · Mint · Coriander leaves · Green chilli · Fresh ginger · Ground cumin
Techniques
Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

Nutrition not available for this recipe

Not enough data to calculate: Anardana (dried pomegranate seeds). We show nothing rather than a made-up number.

Good to know

Tips

  • Whole anardana gives a better chutney than anardana powder, which is often bulked out and can be bitter.
  • Leave the onion out if you will keep the chutney more than a day; raw onion turns sharp and sulphurous.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the soak, which leaves hard, gritty seeds.
  • Using the soaking water as well as extra water: the chutney goes thin.

Serve with

  • Serve with pakoras, samosas, aloo tikki, aloo paratha, seekh kebabs or chana chaat.
  • In Himachal it is eaten with siddu and babru.

Food safety

  • Herbs and greens carry soil; wash them in several changes of water because this chutney is not cooked.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered jar for up to 3 days (2 days with onion).

Variations

  • Fresh pomegranate chutney: Use 100 g fresh pomegranate arils and 1 tbsp lemon juice instead of anardana; sweeter and pinker.
  • Anardana gur chutney: Simmer soaked anardana with jaggery and saunth until thick, for a sweet-sour chaat chutney that keeps for weeks.
  • Dogra anardana chutney: In Jammu it is often pounded with only mint, chilli and salt for a coarse, very sour chutney.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Used in steps 1, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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