Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan

Recipe courtesy: http://shailskitchen.blogspot.in/2012/12/hyderabadi-mirchi-ka-salan.html

The Nizams of Hyderabad were obviously connoisseurs of fine dining, as their cuisine highlights. The world famous Hyderabadi Dum Biryani has a complimentary side dish called 'Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan', a fantastic curry with green chillies cooked in peanut, coconut, sesame and poppy seed based gravy. People may make faces, singing "Haye haye mirchi...uff uff mirchi...", but I can confidently say, all will like this dish, from five year kid to 85 year grand dad! 

I had seen this dish on some TV show and also had seen it in some magazine, probably Woman's Era or Femina way back in the Eighties. Never had the least idea then, whether a green chilli curry can go well with biryani! My doubts were clear when I went through various Andhra style biryani recipes and also some youtube videos showing the significance of this dish in making Hyderabadi Biryani feast complete! I also found a very good recipe blog 'Shaila's Kitchen' explaining clearly how to make the dish. The author mentions the use of coconut powder but I used copra(Dried coconut) bits. Most of the recipes recommend adding green long chillies but the blog recipe mentions about Banana Peppers or Bhavnagari Chillies. Bhavnagari chillies are sweetish and that gives a better taste and substance to the curry. I did two changes in the recipe. I added the seasoning with mustard seeds and cumin seeds after cooking the dish whereas the original recipe mentions about preparing the seasoning first and then making the gravy. Other change is adding Kashmiri chilli powder instead of regular red chilli powder.

The gravy is smooth, rich and delicious. It leaves a hint of mild spices that linger on the tongue after relishing the biryani mixed in with the curry. Not just biryani, but this can also be relished with plain steamed rice, a variety of rotis or with bread. Our friends who tasted this for the first time apart from myself and Meena have given a Hi-Five for the taste and texture. 

Surprise your family and guests with the prized dish Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan. They may leave nothing less than a super praise for your culinary skills and start singing "Salan mein toh saab ban gaya...!"

Ingredients:
Banana Peppers(Bhavnagari Chillies) - 12
Onion - 2 Large
Peanuts - 1/2 Cup
White Sesame Seeds - 1/4 Cup
Coconut Powder(Copra bits) - 1/2 Cup
Khus Khus (Poppy seeds ) - 1 Tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
Tamarind Pulp - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Plain Yoghurt - 1/2 Cup beaten
Kashmiri Chili Powder - 1-2 Tsp(As per taste)
Salt - To taste(I added 3/4 Tsp)
Oil - 1/2 Cup + 1 Tsp

Method:
Wash and pat dry the chillies.
Dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut powder, poppy seeds one by one. 
Let them cool.
Lightly pound the roasted peanuts and remove the skin if possible.
In the mixer dry grinding jar, grind coconut, followed by peanuts, then sesame seeds and poppy seeds.
Add little water and grind to a smooth paste.
Remove and keep aside.
Chop onions.
To the same mixer jar add the chopped onions and make a smooth paste.
Remove and keep aside.
Reserve the water used to wash the mixer jar, for later use.
Heat oil in the pan, and fry the green chillies( peppers ) till they turn whitish golden and blisters form on the skin. 
Remove and keep aside.
To the same oil add onion paste and fry till the paste turns golden brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears and oil leaves the sides.
Add the peanut paste and fry till oil leaves the sides.
Add cumin powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, salt and mix well.
Add tamarind pulp, beaten yoghurt and 3-4 cups water.
Bring to a boil and add the fried chillies.
Allow to simmer with open pan for about 5-10 minutes or until the chillies have cooked.
Prepare a seasoning with mustard seeds and cumin seeds in one teaspoon oil and add to the curry.
Allow the curry to sizzle for another 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
Serve hot with Hyderabadi Biryani or with a variety of rotis.

Note: 
You may make this curry with 200 Gms of other variety of green chillies or even with brinjal. 
Cut brinjal into thin 2" long strips and fry them before adding to curry.
If you are adding brinjal, increase the amount of red chilli powder by one more teaspoon.