Bhang ki chutney (Kumaoni hemp seed chutney)

Name: Bhang ki chutney (Kumaoni hemp seed chutney)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 21 min
Ingredients: 60 g hemp seeds, whole, picked over; 4 g cumin seeds; 10 g green chilli, stemmed and chopped (about 2); 4 g salt; 15 g mint, leaves only, washed and finely chopped; 15 g coriander leaves, washed and finely chopped; 40 ml lemon juice; 60 ml water

Vegetarian

भांग की चटनी · bhāṅg kī caṭnī

Hemp seeds roasted until they crackle, ground with roasted cumin and green chilli, then loosened with lemon juice and fresh mint and coriander. The nutty, tangy everyday chutney of the Kumaon hills.

Bhang ki chutney (Kumaoni hemp seed chutney) is an Indian condiment, ready in about 21 minutes and made with hemp seeds and lemon juice. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 6 min
Rest: 5 min
Total: 21 min
Serves: 6
Level: Easy
Calories: 62

Ingredients

6 servings (about 30 g)

60 g Hemp seeds (opens in a new tab), whole, picked over
4 g Cumin seeds (opens in a new tab)
10 g Green chilli (opens in a new tab), stemmed and chopped (about 2)
4 g Salt (opens in a new tab)
15 g Mint (opens in a new tab), leaves only, washed and finely chopped
15 g Coriander leaves (opens in a new tab), washed and finely chopped
40 ml Lemon juice (opens in a new tab)Or the juice of a galgal (hill lemon).
60 ml Water (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Dry-roast the hemp seeds (opens in a new tab) in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they start to crackle and pop and smell toasty, about 4 minutes. Tip onto a plate.
- 4 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: The seeds jump as they pop; keep your face back.
2
Step 2
In the same pan, roast the cumin seeds (opens in a new tab) for about a minute until a shade darker. Let both cool for 5 minutes.
- 6 min
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Grind the hemp seeds (opens in a new tab), cumin, green chilli (opens in a new tab) and salt to a fine, slightly damp powder, traditionally on a sil-batta (grinding stone), or in a mortar or spice grinder. Many cooks then sieve it to remove the papery husks.
How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels
4
Step 4
In a bowl, mix the ground paste with the lemon juice (opens in a new tab) and enough water to make a loose, spoonable chutney, a little thinner than yoghurt.
- 2 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
5
Step 5
Stir in the chopped mint (opens in a new tab) and coriander. Taste for salt and sourness; it should be distinctly tangy.
- 1 min

About this dish

Origin: Kumaon and Garhwal, Uttarakhand, Uttarakhand, India · Well documentedA signature Kumaoni chutney made from the seeds of the hemp plant, which contain only trace THC and are not intoxicating. Local cooks often use the juice of the large hill lemon (galgal or pahadi nimbu); ordinary lemon is the usual substitute.More food from India
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method: Toasted, Blended
Taste: nutty, tangy, herby, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with: Lemon juice · Cumin seeds · Green chilli · Mint · Coriander leaves
Techniques: Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Wet grinding · Dry 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

62 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 32 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

Protein 20%
Carbohydrate 12%
Fat 67%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	62 kcal	195 kcal
Protein	3.5 g	11 g
Carbohydrate	2.1 g	6.6 g
Net carbohydrate	1.3 g	4.2 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.8 g	2.4 g
Fat	5.1 g	16 g
Saturated fat	0.5 g	1.5 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	262 mg	828 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	2.1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 169 mg
Calcium: 22 mg
Iron: 1.6 mg
Magnesium: 76 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 15 µg
Vitamin C: 8 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): 17 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Hemp seeds: Hulled hemp seeds (FDC 170148) used for whole roasted hemp seeds; whole seeds carry their shell, so fibre is understated and fat slightly overstated.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Roasting until the seeds pop is what makes the chutney nutty rather than grassy.
For more body, add a little grated cucumber or a boiled potato, as some Kumaoni homes do.

Common mistakes

Under-roasting: the chutney tastes raw and green.
Grinding in a big blender jar, which cannot catch such a small quantity; use a mortar or spice grinder.

Serve with

Serve with mandua (finger millet) roti, aloo ke gutke, bhatt ki churkani, or with pakoras and dal-chawal.
In Kumaon it is also mixed into cucumber or potato salads.

Food safety

Use food-grade hemp seeds; they are not intoxicating. Laws on hemp products differ by country, so check local rules.
Herbs and greens carry soil; wash them in several changes of water because this chutney is not cooked.

Storage

Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days. The dry roasted seed powder (before adding lemon and herbs) keeps in an airtight jar for 2 weeks.

Variations

With garlic: Pound 2–3 garlic cloves with the seeds for a sharper chutney.
Bhang ka namak: Roasted hemp seeds ground with salt, chilli and cumin and kept dry as a seasoning salt.
Bhangjeera chutney: In parts of Uttarakhand perilla seeds (bhangjeera) are roasted and ground the same way.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

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.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Lemon juice40 ml · 41 g

Used in step 4

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

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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