Mirchi Ka Salan is a very traditional recipe from the Hyderabadi/ Andhra cuisine served on the Eid festival. Salan is hot and spicy and has a tangy gravy. All the spiciness comes from chillies and tamarind, and the gravy blended with other freshly ground spices and peanuts. Mirchi ka salan is traditionally served as a side dish for Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani. You can also serve this dish with plain steamed rice or Tawa Paratha.
Ingredients
2 cups Green Chillies , long variety, cut into thick (1-1/2 inch) strips
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon Methi Seeds (Fenugreek Seeds)
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania) , freshly roasted and ground
1 teaspoon Red Chilli powder
2 Tomatoes , pureed
1 cup Tamarind Water
1 sprig Curry leaves
Sunflower Oil , to cooking
2 tablespoons Coriander (Dhania) Leaves , to garnish
Salt , to taste
Ingredients for Mirchi Ka Salan Masala – to be ground into paste
2 tablespoons Roasted Peanuts (Moongphali)
2 tablespoons Sesame seeds (Til seeds) , roasted
3 tablespoons Fresh coconut , grated
Ingredients for onion ginger garlic paste – to be ground to paste
3 cloves Garlic
1 inch Ginger
1 Onions , roughly chopped
How to make Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe (Chillies in Tangy Spicy Peanut Sesame Curry)
To begin making the Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe, first grind the above masala ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside. Also make ginger garlic paste and keep aside.
Wash and slit the long green chillies. Remove the seeds and saute them in 2 tablespoons of hot oil until they turn change color and become lightly tender.
Remove from heat, transfer to another bowl and keep aside. The green chillies should not be very tender after this process, it will still have a crisp texture.
In the same pan add a little more oil if required; add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
When the seeds crackle, add the onion garlic and ginger paste and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and saute for 2 more minutes until the tomatoes begin to boil and bubble.
Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and powdered peanut-sesame mixture. Cook over a medium flame stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes.
Add the tamarind water, the fried green chillies and salt and simmer until the gravy thickens for about 10 minutes. Once done, turn off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
Transfer Mirchi Ka Salan to a serving dish and serve it along with Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani to make a complete one dish meal.