Tuesday 18 October 2011

'X' ka Salan

Think of Hyderabad food and the first thing popping to your mind should be Biryani and the second should be Mirchi ka Salan ..to be honest all the Salan(which literally means gravy) I had in Hydearabd was too oily for my liking. Then I learnt this amazing gravy dish from a friend which actually had brinjals and realised that the taste was so similar to the Salan taste. The recipe turned out to be really simple and the taste is so universal that you can make it with chillies/brinjal/bhindi/tomato/chicken/egg/anything you like (that's why I call it 'X' ka salan :))..as the gravy is thick and luscious and tastes as good with biryani as with plain steamed rice as with parathas.Serve it as a main course when made with vegetables or as a side dish when made with chillies, the versatility just adds on..

Ingredients

For the paste
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds

3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 achari chillies (the light green big chillies )
1 tomato ,cut into quarters
1 teaspoon haldi powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon jaggery pieces
4 tablespoons tamarind paste (can use less if you don't want this too tangy)
2 cups coconut milk (thickness depends on your preference for the gravy thickness)
Salt

1. In a pan,dry roast the paste ingredients on a slow flame till the colour of the sesame turns brown. Cool and grind to a fine paste
2. Slit the chillies lengthwise and shallow fry them till lightly browned
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook till light brown. Add the ground paste and roast with the onion for a minute.
3. Add the haldi, salt, red chilli powder and fry for another minute.
4. Add the coconut milk, jaggery and whisk till the lumps are removed. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the chillies and the tomato chunks and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add the tamarind paste, stir well and turn off the gas and serve hot, garnished with sesame seeds and few peanuts (optional)


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