Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi Ka Salan or curried chilli peppers is a delicious, complex dish originally from Hyderabad, but relished all over the country. Large green chillies are cooked in tamarind, peanuts, and spices which instead of heightening the spice, works well to create a beautiful blend of tastes. Here is how to make it.

Mirchi ka Salan is thin, spicy curry made with long green chillies, peanut, sesame seeds, coconut and tamarind.

Salan is an Urdu word that means curry and mirchi means chillies, so the name.

It is one of the famous Hyderabadi preparations that makes an appearance along with biryani for all occasions be it wedding or some party.

It is a delicious curry that pairs well with biryani, chapatti, paratha or rice.

Some people use yogurt to add tanginess instead of tamarind.

The unique combination of spices makes this curry delectable and yummy.

The salan is served as a side dish with Egg Dum Biryani, or the popular Mutton Dum Biryani.

Ingredients

Making Mirchi Ka Salan at home in a traditional Hyderabadi style is quite easy and you need basic ingredients to make it.

Long big chilies: Traditionally long green chillies are used to make this curry, as they add medium heat to the curry.

Depending on how spicy and hot curries you prefer, you can choose the kind of chillies.

Tamarind pulp: Tamarind adds the tanginess to the curry and balances out the heat from the chillies.

You can use yogurt instead of tamarind, if you like yogurt-based curries.

Gur / Jaggery: Jaggery adds a little sweetness and gives the perfect balance to this curry.

It balances out the spiciness from chillies and various other spices used.

Onion: Make sure you let the onions brown properly before you add other ingredients and grind it.

Fresh grated coconut: Fresh coconut is the star of this dish and makes the curry nutty and delicious.

It is equally healthy and makes the dish super delicious.

Peanuts: Peanuts also make the base of this dish and make the curry a little thick.

Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds are one of the most important ingredients of the dish and don’t skip these.

Apart from these ingredients, you will also need mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, onion, ginger, garlic, poppy seeds, dry red chillies and coriander seeds to make the gravy.

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Step by Step Recipe

Dry roast all the ingredients to make masala paste until slightly brown and aromatic.

Roasted until slightly browned.

Add all the roasted ingredients in a blender and grind to make a smooth paste. Use little water to make the paste.

Wash the chillies and wipe them dry. Make a slit in the centre and remove the seeds and the pith.

Heat oil in a pan.

When the oil is hot, fry the chilies till blisters appears on their skin. Drain and keep aside.

In the same oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.

Let them crackle and then add the ground masala along with 1 cup of water.

Cover and cook the masala until oil starts to separate on the side of the pan. It will take 10-12 minutes for the oil to separate.

Add tamarind pulp, gur, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add more water if required.

Add the fried chilies and cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.