Mirch ka salan

Mirch ka salan is a famous Hyderabadi dish, whole green chilly stir fried and simmered in peanut and sesame sauce. It is usually a best combo with dum briyani. This spicy dish can be served with rice or roti. Originally it is made with long chillies available in India which are used to prepare fritters or bhaji. The long chilly will not be more hot compared to small ones. Mine was not spicy, so I added red chilly powder top of that. The best alternate for long chilly is Jalapeno. 

Ingredients:

• Long green chilly or Jalapeno - 12
• Tamarind - lemon sized ball
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 5
• Mint leaves - 5 (optional)
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
• Salt - as per taste

Spice powder :

• Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
• Peanuts - 1 tbsp
• Dry coconut - 1 tbsp
• Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp

Spice paste:

• Onion - 3
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Tomato - 1
• Ginger - 1 tbsp

Method:

Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 10 minutes. Extract juice and discard the pulp. Heat a tbsp of oil in a  pan and fry the ingredients given for spice powder. Fry over low heat, till copra is golden brown. Cool and grind to a fine powder.

Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add all the ingredients given for spice paste. Fry till the raw smell of the onion goes. Cool and make paste.

Slit chillies lengthwise keeping stalks intact. Remove seeds carefully without separating the segments. (If your skin is sensitive wear gloves). Bring 1 cup of water to boil over high heat with a tsp of salt. Add chillies and blanch for a minute. Drain and keep aside. Reserve water. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in pan. Fry chillies.

Fry till it changes the color like 3 minutes. Remove and drain the chillies and keep aside. In the same pan, add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and mint leaves. Sprinkle turmeric powder. Blend spice paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Mix spice powder and fry for another 3 minutes. Add  tamarind juice and fried chillies, adjust the salt. Add the reserved water. Stir gently and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, till oil floats on top of the curry. 

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Note:

• My chillies was not hot, so I added a tsp of chilly powder. Check your gravy and then add red chilly powder, if needed. 
• The reserved water can be added while blending the onion paste or in the gravy.