Recipe- Andhra Style Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi ka salan is a popular side gravy prepared by cooking long chilli peppers in a spicy tangy Andhra style salan and usually served with kuska rice and biryanis.Mirchi gravy is the famous partner for Hyderabadi biryanis and you can see this in many Telugu homes on special occasions. Mirchi ka salan is nothing but Chilli gravy, where Mirchi means chilli and salan means gravy.

Ingredients

6 to 8 long chillies (mirchis/peppers)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ground nuts
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp cashews
½ cup onion (chopped)
3 garlic
1 inch ginger
½ cup dry coconut (grated)
2 tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 sprig curry leaves
½ cup tamarind water (1 gooseberry size)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (optional)
1 tsp salt (as per taste)
3 cups water (approx.)

Method

* Wash the long chillies and pat them dry.

* Put a long slit on the chillies from top to bottom and remove the seeds completely.

* Soak a gooseberry sized tamarind in a cup of water.

* Heat oil(1tbsp) in a frying pan, add peanuts(groundnuts 2tbsp) and fry them crisp in medium heat.

* If you are using already roasted peanuts, reduce the frying time to two minutes.

* Add sesame seeds(1 tbsp) and fry them until they start spluttering.

* As an optional ingredient add cashews and fry along in oil. Cashews give an extra creaminess to the gravy.

* Now add onions(1/2 cup) and ginger piece(1-inch)and 3 garlic pods.

* Saute till transparent and add grated dry coconut(1/2 cup).

* If you don't have dry coconut (gobbari) you can use fresh coconut. Make sure to saute well until the whole masala becomes aromatic.

* It takes around 8 minutes to fry the masala ingredients well.

* Switch off and let the masala cool down a bit, grind into a smooth paste.

* Heat some(2 tbsp) oil and fry the slit chillies.

* Please be careful while frying the chillies as the skin of the chillies tend to splutter in oil. You can cover the pan with a lid for two minutes.

* Fry each side of the chillies properly by turning the chillies in-between.

* Transfer the chillies to a plate and keep aside.

* To the same pan with the leftover oil, add mustard seeds and let them crackle.

* Also, add fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds.

* Put some curry leaves and add tamarind water (1/2 cup).

* Add turmeric powder (1/4 tsp), chilli powder (1/2 tsp) and coriander powder (1/2 tsp). Put some Kashmiri chilli powder for color and it is optional.

* Now add salt to the gravy as per taste.

* Add the ground salan paste with a cup of water and mix well.

* Pour an extra cup of water as the gravy tends to thicken over time.

* Cover the pan with the lid and cook the gravy for around 6 to 8 minutes.

* Add the fried chillies to the gravy and keep the heat in the low setting and cook for few minutes until the oil separates on the top layer.

* Switch off and serve with veg or chicken biryani or Plain kuska.