Wash the 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 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 peanuts, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coconut, and dry red chilies 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 ginger, 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 oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves, and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add onions and fry until they turn golden brown (6-8 minutes), stirring frequently.
Add the salan paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and 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 and add the fried chilies to the pan and stir well.
Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
Stir in tamarind paste and jaggery and cook for a minute.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Mirchi salan is ready. Garnish with cilantro and serve it with biryani, rice, or roti.
My recipe serves 4 but can be easily doubled or tripled.This curry is made using long non-spicy chillis. Use any variety that is easily available to you. I used Bhavangiri chilies.