Fresh Coriander-Spice Chutney

Postcard from Nepal: ‘Flying over the dusty brown landscape ... brown for endless miles: brown hills, brown valleys, dull, dusty brown. Suddenly, the earth is covered with huge red carpets: fields of fiery red chillies drying in the harsh sun.’

These chillies are eaten with gusto in nearly everything: simmered in earthy stews, or pounded into intense sauces and fresh chutneys to enliven the simple diet based on rice and lentils. The following chutney is pungent with curry spices and