Ingredients:
10 Green chilies ( not of the hot variety)
Rinse and wipe dry the green chilies. Slit the chilies vertically but keep them intact
1 Tbsp. tamarind dissolved in ⅓ cup hot water
1.5 to 2 cups water
½ Tbsp. mustard
½ Tbsp. nigella seeds
½ Tbsp. cumin seeds
8 to 10 curry leaves
3 to 4 Tbsp. oil
salt to taste
¼ cup desiccated coconut
¼ cup peanuts, roasted
1.5 tablespoon sesame seeds, roasted
1 medium size onion (Chopped)
2 to 3 garlic cloves (
½ inch ginger
½ Tbsp. red chili powder
½ Tbsp. turmeric powder
½ Tbsp. garam masala powder (curry powder)
water for grinding and Salan Gravy (approx. 2.5 Cups)
Method:
Preparing Paste for Salan
Heat the oil (1/2 Tbsp.) in a pan, add onions till they turn lightly brown, add the desiccated coconut and brown it. Add garlic, ginger and other spices (Red chilli ,Turmeric ,Garam Masala ) roast for a minute . Take this mixture off heat, add roasted ground nuts and sesame seeds to this mixture. Make a smooth paste of the above by adding little water. This paste will serve as base for salan (gravy).
Preparing salan
Heat about 2 Tbsp. oil in a pan, fry green chilies for a minute, remove and put on a paper towel. In the same pan add one more Tbsp. of oil, add mustard seeds till splutter , add nigella seeds, cumin seeds add curry leaves and fry for a minute. At this point add the paste, keep stirring for few minutes, you can see oil starts leaving the sides of the masala. Its time to add tamarind pulp and 2 cups water. Simmer for 5 minutes add fried green chilies plus salt and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes more. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve mirchi ka salan hot with biryani. You can also add 2-3 small size fried egg plant (Baigan) at the time of adding fried chillies in the salan. This will enhance the flavours of the salan.
