Mirchi ka Salan | Classic Hyderabadi Green Chili Curry Recipe

There is a remarkable difference between Hyderabadi wedding food and Andhra wedding food. In Andhra we serve biryani with dalcha and ambade ki bhaji whereas in Hyderabad they serve biryani with mirchi ka salan, tomato kut, dahi ki chutney, etc.…. Mirchi ka Salan is much loved recipe in my house. Apart from pairing it with biryani, I love to serve it along ghee rice, qubooli, veg pulao, bagare chawal, etc. This mirchi ka salan stays good for 2-3 days when refrigerated and tastes best when served next day. I love to dip piping hot butter naan or kulcha in mirchi ka salan and relish it the next day. There are many ways of making this mirchi ka salan but the one I sharing with you today is tried and tested recipe in my kitchen over the years.

Mirchi ka Salan

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 long, straight and medium thick Green chilies
• 2 medium Onions, sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic, peeled
• 5 tbsp. Peanuts
• 3 tbsp. white Sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp. dry Coconut powder, optional
• ½ tbsp. Coriander powder (powder from roasted coriander seeds)
• 50 gms. Tamarind, washed and soaked in 1 cup of water for 30 minutes
• 1 ½ tbsp. Red chili powder
• ½ tbsp. Turmeric powder
• Salt as per taste
• ½ tbsp. Sugar
• ½ cup Oil

How to make Mirchi ka Salan

PREPARATION:

Making Masala for Salan

• Wash green chilies and using a clean kitchen towel wipe them dry. Using a knife make a small slit in the middle of the chilies. Set them aside.
• Squeeze tamarind in water for 4-5 minutes. Run this water through sieve and set aside.
• In a skillet or kadai, dry roast peanuts on low flame for 10-15 minutes by stirring continuously until the skin of peanuts turn brown and fragrant. Remove on a kitchen plate and leave to cool.
• In the same skillet, dry roast sesame seeds. (As the skillet is hot, the sesame will get roasted in 2-3 minutes, so be careful, otherwise sesame seeds will get burnt). Remove into a mixer jar.
• If using dry coconut powder or slices, then dry roast until it turns light brown. Add this also to the mixer jar with sesame seeds.
• Remove the skin from the peanuts by gently rubbing between your palms and fingers. Now add these peanuts to the mixer jar along with cloves of garlic.
• Add oil and fry sliced onions until they turn nice golden. Using a slotted spoon, drain the excess oil, and remove in to a kitchen plate.
• Make a coarse paste of roasted peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, roasted dry coconut and cloves of garlic. Now add fried onions and make a fine paste by adding 4-5 tbsp. of water if required.

Preparing Mirchi ka Salan

• In the remaining oil (oil remaining after frying sliced onions) fry green chilies by stirring continuously until they start to change color. Drain and set aside.
• Now add the above ground masala along with red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. On medium flame, by stirring in between fry the masala until it starts to leave the sides of the cooking vessel. It will take 15-20 minutes. Be patient and stir to avoid burning of the masala.
• Add green chilies and gently coat them with masala using spoon. To this add tamarind water (refer step 2 above) along with two cups of water.
• Bring this to boil and cook covered on low flame for 15-20 minutes by adding sugar. Check for salt and turn off the flame when the desired consistency is reached (mirchi ka salan is semi thick gravy based recipe). Let this sit on kitchen counter for 20-30 minutes before serving.
• Serve with rice or naan. I served this Mirchi ka Salan with chicken fry and ghee rice.
• Add love to make this mirchi ka salan taste ‘Yummy’.

NOTE:

• Select chili’s which are not too hot and spicy, otherwise the recipe will be extra spicy.
• The color of the recipe depends on the red chili powder you use. I used homemade red chili powder, which gave nice blush red color to my recipe.
• Some people add more turmeric powder, which makes the recipe look pale in color, but the spice quotient will be the same.
• You can even try adding roasted poppy seeds (khus khus) | Cashew nuts while grinding the masala. I somehow feel poppy seeds/cashew nuts impart sweet taste to the recipe and cuts off the spiciness. So I skip using it. You can try if you like.