Mirchi ka Saalan

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Mirchi ka Saalan is a traditional Hyderabadi curry and a common accompaniment to the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. It does have tons of South Indian flavors but goes well with roti or pulav!

Ingredients:

Anaheim peppers - 4 (I have also used Hungarian peppers, they work equally well!)

Water - 1/2 - 3/4 cup

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Fenugreek (methi) seeds - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Masalas - coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder (optional)

Curry leaves - a few!

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Jaggery (gud/vellam) - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Preparing the peppers

De-seed the peppers and cut them into 2" squares. In a non stick pan, heat a tbsp of oil and roast the peppers. 

Paste 1

Onion - 1 medium, roughly chopped

Tomato - 2 medium, roughly chopped

Ginger - 2" piece

Garlic - 3 chubby pods!

Coconut - 3 tbsp

Heat a tbsp of oil and saute ginger, garlic and onions till the onions turn golden brown. Turn off heat and mix in tomatoes and coconut. Let it cool and grind to a paste.

Paste 2

Peanuts - 3 tbsp

White sesame seeds - 3 tsp

In a tsp of oil, roast the two to a golden brown color. Let it cool and grind it to a paste with a little bit of water.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non stick pan. Add the seeds (fenugreek in the end of course!) followed by the curry leaves. Pour in Paste1, the masalas, mix well and then add, Paste2, salt, water, tamarind paste, roasted peppers and jaggery. Mix well and let it cook on low heat till the gravy thickens a little bit for about 20-30 minutes, make sure to keep mixing frequently.