Cooking Hyderabadi Style Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi (Chilli) can be tempting, when it goes in

the Mirchi Ka Salan

Welcome to the world of Mirchi Ka Salan. You will love this gravy from the land of Hyderabad. It is a dish that goes along really very well with a Hyderabadi Biryani.

Time to cook: Around 20 minutes

Time to prepare the ingredients: Again, around 20 minutes

Total preparation time is therefore = 40 minutes (Approximately)

What goes in? (Ingredients)

Around 1/4 kilogram of Gree Chillies

Half table spoon mustard seeds (Sarso ke beej)

Jeera around 1 table spoon (Jeera)

One tea spoon of Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)

Curry Leaves - around 7 to 8 (Karri Patta)

1 tea spoon of Nigella Seeds (Kalonji)

4 tea spoons of Red Chilli Powder (Now thats lethal for non spice lovers!)

One fourth table spoon of turmeric powder (Haldi)

4 tea spoons of Coriander Powder (Dhania Powder)

Imli Water (i.e. Tamarind Water) around 4 to 5 table spoons

Chop some dhania leaves (Coriander leaves) - approximately around 3 table spoons

6 - 7 table spoons of cooking oil

And some salt (around 1 tea spoon. Add more if you love to do so)

Preparing the mash 

Around 3/4" Ginger

Pick around 7 - 8 Garlics (lehsan)
2 Onions and 3 tomatoes

Grate some coconut - around 4 table spoons

The making of the Salan Powder

This is a dry preparation

Roast around 3 table spoons of peanuts. Roasting is easy. Simply place the peanuts on a flat pan and roast until they brown a bit.

Add around 2 table spoons of sesame seeds (Til ke beej)

Around 2 tea spoons of Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

Now how to cook?

a. Heat the oil in a deep pan for around 2 to 3 minutes

b. Clean the chillies in hot running water. Cut the green chillies by deeply incising a knive vertically, but dont cut them fully. Let each chilli be one piece. The aim is to open the chilli. The seeds will come out of the chillies. Fry these seeds in hot oil (you just heated in step a). Wait until the color turns white.

c. Now pour the the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, Nigella seeds, Fenugreek seeds & Karri Patta leaves. Keep on cooking until the seeds break (i.e. they soften a bit)

d. To this, add the Mas you prepared and fry it for 3 - 4 minutes.  Now add the Haldi powder (Turmeric) along with the Coriander Powder and Red Chilli Powder. Add to this the Salan Powder. Keep on cooking for around 3 minutes.

e. Now pour 2.5 cups of water along with the Tamarind water. At a point, the preparation will become thick (i.e. the water dries). Remember you fried some green chillies, now add these chillies. the coriander leaves and the Salt, as per your taste

f. The Mirchi Ka Salan is now ready. Recommended highly along with a Biryani.

Enjoy.