Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan (Biryani Salan)

Mirchi Ka Salan (Biryani Salan) is a Hyderabadi-style nutty and spicy curry made using large green chilies. Serve it with biryani or any Indian bread (vegan, gluten-free).

Jump to:

• What Is A Salan
• About Mirchi Ka Salan
• Ingredients
• How To Make Mirchi Ka Salan
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

What Is A Salan

Salan is a Hyderabadi curry made using peanuts, sesame seeds, fresh coconut, and a few spices. It is popularly served with biryanis.

There can be a variety of vegetables added to this creamy, spicy, and tangy curry. Bhindi ka Salan, Baigan Ka Salan, and Tomato Salan, however, the most popular one is Mirchi Ka Salan.

About Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirch means “green chilies” and Salan means “curry” in Urdu.

Mirchi Ka Salan translates to a delicious curry where fried green chilies are added to a creamy, nutty, and spicy peanut coconut gravy.

Also known as Biryani Salan or just Salan, it is quite popular in Hyderabadi households and restaurants and is traditionally served with Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani and Mutton Biryani.

It is also quite popular during festivals, weddings, or other celebrations and special occasions.

My Hyderabadi mirchi ka salan recipe is vegan and gluten-free. It serves 4 but can be easily doubled or tripled.

Here are some more Hyderabadi recipes that you may like

• Hyderabadi Spot Idli
• Hyderabadi Baingan Ka Khatta
• Hyderabadi Bhindi Ka Salan
• Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulao
• Hyderabadi Bagara Rice

Ingredients

All the ingredients to make this curry are easily available at any Indian grocery store.

Green Chillies – This curry is made using large non-spicy chilies (peppers). Use any variety of mild peppers that are easily available to you. I used Bhavangiri chilies. Shishito peppers, banana peppers, etc, are also good substitutes.

For The Salan Paste – To make the paste, you will need raw peanuts, white sesame seeds, cumin seeds, fresh coconut, whole dry red chillies, fresh ginger, and garlic.

Fresh coconut is the star of this dish and makes the curry nutty and delicious. To save time, you can buy already grated fresh coconut. It is available in the freezer section of any Indian grocery store.

You can replace fresh coconut with dry coconut if it’s not available.

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

You can adjust the quantity of dry red chilies, depending on your taste.

Spice Powders – This curry uses basic everyday spice powders such as coriander powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chilli powder.

Tamarind Pulp – Tamarind adds tanginess to the curry and balances out the heat from the chilies.

Jaggery (Gud) – Jaggery adds a hint of sweetness and balances out the spiciness of chilies and various other spices used.

Others – You will also need onions, oil, brown mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds (methi dana), curry leaves, salt, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

How To Make Mirchi Ka Salan

Fry The Chilies

Wash 6-8 large non-spicy chilies and wipe them well with a kitchen cloth.

Discard the ends or keep them. Make a slit in the center of the chilies and remove the seeds and the pith.

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large shallow frying pan over medium-high heat.

Arrange the chilies in the pan in a single layer and fry them from all sides until blisters appear on their surface.

Cover the pan with a lid if the chilies are spluttering too much.

Remove the fried chilies to a plate and keep them aside.

Make The Salan Paste

Dry roast

• 2 tablespoon raw peanuts
• 2 tablespoon white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoon grated fresh coconut
• 3-4 whole dry red chilies (stalks removed)

over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant (3-4 minutes), stirring frequently.

Remove the pan from heat and let the ingredients cool down for 10 minutes.

Add the cooled ingredients to a blender along with 2 teaspoon chopped ginger, 3-4 cloves peeled garlic, and ½ cup water, and blend to make a fine paste.

Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.

Make The Curry

Heat 3 tablespoon oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add

• 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 15-20 curry leaves

and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.

Add 1 cup of thinly sliced onions and fry until they turn golden brown (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.

Add

• salan paste
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

and saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water and bring the curry to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.

Cook the curry for 15-20 minutes.

Now remove the lid, add the fried chilies to the pan, and stir well.

Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes.

Stir in 2 teaspoon tamarind paste and 1 teaspoon crushed jaggery and cook for a minute.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Mirchi Salan is ready. Garnish with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve it with biryani, rice, or roti.

Serving Suggestions

Hyderabadi Salan tastes best with biryani. You can serve it with mutton biryani, chicken biryani, fish biryani, mushroom biryani, veg biryani, kathal biryani, or egg dum biryani.

It also goes great with plain rice and other rice dishes like ghee rice, veg pulao, bagara chawal, etc.

You can also serve it with Indian flatbread such as phulka, tawa paratha, lachha paratha, or naan.

Storage Suggestions

Biryani Salan can be stored in an air-tight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan or microwave before serving.

You Might Also Like

Recipe Card