Pickles and chutneys are the inseparable part of Afghans meals, no doubt. People in Afghanistan are accustomed to serving every dish with some side dishes and complete their joy of eating with the sore and spicy taste. One of the most popular chutneys is called cilantro sauce or Afghan green sauce. It is a fantastic choice to serve with different afghan foods such as Kabuli pulao, Kebabs, or Bolani. Preparing cilantro sauce has no difficulty, and you can make it in less than one hour. It is a kind of cilantro paste with some routine ingredients like vinegar. If you are passionate about trying this afghan dipping sauce, follow me till the end to make a perfect side dish for yourself.

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Ingredients for making cilantro sauce

As the name reveals, cilantro sauce is based on herbs and its ingredients are easy to find.

3 cups fresh cilantro, packed, washed
3 cups fresh parsley, packed, washed
5 cloves garlic
⅓ cup raw walnuts
120 gr green chili peppers, seeds removed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup white vinegar

How to prepare cilantro sauce?

There are different versions of this spicy kebab sauce recipe. But they are mostly similar to each other, and you may find some tiny differences. By the way, let’s start!

For the first step, put the cilantro, parsley, walnuts, green chili peppers, salt, and black pepper into a blender or food processor, and mix them well to get a finely chopped mixture. Repeat it as many times as needed.

Then add the garlic cloves, and blend again. Just be careful not to puree.

Little by little, add the vinegar until it becomes a fairly thick sauce.

That’s it! Your afghan cilantro chutney is quite ready. Pour it into a jar, filling it no more than ¾ full. The sauce is at first vibrant green and will darken over time. Do not cover the jar to let the chutney breathe overnight in the fridge.

After one day, cover it with a lid. If you want to use a metal lid for your cilantro sauce, wrap it with a plastic, so the metal does not rust and leach into the jar. You can store this sauce in a glass jar in the fridge for about 4 months.

Note: You can also add extra ingredients such as mint leaves, fresh ginger, cumin seeds, ground turmeric, and even sugar if you desire.

I hope you enjoyed this cilantro sauce recipe, and I am excited to read about your experiences with it. So do not forget to write about your cilantro sauce in the comments!