Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Mirchi Ka Salan (Green Chile Curry In Tamarind, Peanut, & Coconut Sauce)

Mirchi Ka Salan (Green Chile Curry In Tamarind, Peanut, & Coconut Sauce) is a wonderfully fragrant, rich, and nutty curry with Chiles for vegetables! We love this Hyderabadi recipe which can be mild or spicy hot depending on the choice of the chiles. It is worth making a big batch for the week; as the chiles soak in the flavorful sauce, they get more delectable.

NOTES:

I generally like to use Shishito chiles which are usually mild; when a spicy dish is needed, jalapeño chiles  (cored or left whole) may be used.

Garam Masala maybe homemade or purchased.

4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

Masala:
4 tbsp Peanuts
1 pinch Fenugreek seeds (about 6-7 seeds )
3 tbsp Sesame seeds 
1 tsp Poppy seeds (optional)
2 tbsp dry Coconut 
1-2 cloves Garlic
½ - 1 inch Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
½ cup water, as needed to blend

Salan:
1 tsp Tamarind concentrate + ½ cup Warm Water
2 tsp Oil, divided
12 mild/hot Green Chiles with stems
½ tsp Brown/Black Mustard seeds
½ tsp Cumin seeds
1 stem fresh Curry Leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade
½ medium sized Onion, finely chopped
½ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Kashmiri Chile powder
salt to taste
½-1 tsp Jaggery/Brown Sugar, optional
2 cups Water, use as needed
½ tsp Garam Masala
3-4 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander, finely chopped

Method:

Prepare Masala:

Dry roast peanuts until lightly toasted and browned; tip onto a plat and let cool. Roast separately the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, fenugreek seeds and coconut each for a few minutes until fragrant and add to the peanuts. Let cool completely.

Transfer peanut mixture to blender carafe along with the ginger and garlic, and blend to smooth paste adding a little water as needed. Reserve until needed.

Prepare Salan:

Add the tamarind paste to the warm water and let it dissolve. Reserve.

Green Chiles: Heat a kadai/pan, add 1 tsp of the oil and sauté the green chiles with a pinch of salt until softened; remove to a plate and reserve. Core the green chiles especially if using hot chiles. Making a slit on the side and using a small spoon to remove the core may help keep the stems intact.

Add the remaining oil to the same pan, add mustard seeds and cumin and let them sizzle for a few seconds; when mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves, onions and a pinch of salt and cook until soft over low-medium heat and beginning to color. Sprinkle a bit of water as needed to keep from scorching or burning.

Tip in the prepared masala paste, tamarind water, jaggery and salt along with turmeric and chile powder. Add about 1 cup of water to the blender carafe, swirl to gather all of the masala, and add to the pan.

Mix well and add up to 1 more cup of water if the salan is too thick, cover and simmer for 30 minutes over low-medium heat.

Add the fried chiles to the salan, sprinkle the garam masala on top, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in cilantro/coriander, and let rest for 10 minutes. Mix well, taste, and add salt if needed.

Serve mirchi ka salan hot or warm with rice dishes like a biryanipulav or other grains, roti, naan,  Idli, Dosa, etc.

Enjoy!!



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