Mirchi Ka Saalan

Mirchi Ka Saalan or Curried Chilli Peppers is one dish from the Hyderabadi cuisine, that has always left me drooling at the simple thought itself, ever since I had it from a restaurant. Such an enticing curry with the perfect blend of all  flavors- tangy, spicy, grainy ....A perfect combo with hot phulkas or chapatis that you might end up eating more chapatis than you usually have.

When this curry was made the other day at home, I was not sure whether it would be accepted by my kids and better half, but let me tell you, my joy knew no boundaries to see them licking off the curry from their plates.

The hero of the dish - large green chilly 

Ingredients
250 grams large green chillies
4 medium onions, cut into large chunks
1 lemon size ball of tamarind, soaked in 1 cup of warm water, mashed and strained
1 1/2 tablespoon roughly chopped ginger
2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons grated coconut
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon  red chilli powder
1 teaspoon jaggery or sugar
few curry leaves
oil
salt

Method

• Make a slit on one side of each chilli and remove the seeds through the slit. Do not split the chilli into two.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in pan and roast the chillies, tossing continuously until golden brown spots appear on the chillies. Remove the chillies from the pan and keep aside.
• In the same pan, add 1 tsp oil and roast the onions for around 8-10 minutes or until browned.
• Remove the onion from the pan and keep aside.
• Now in the same pan add the coriander seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, cumin, coconut and fenugreek seeds. Dry roast these spices until they darken slightly. Once cooled grind these roasted spices with the roasted onion, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, chilli powder and jaggery/sugar into a fine paste. Add the tamarind water also and churn into a smooth paste.
• Heat little(3-4 tbsp) oil in a kadai, add curry leaves and the ground paste. Saute this well for around 5-10 minutes on a medium flame.
• Add the roasted chillies. Add 1/2 cup water, cover and cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it starts boiling, reduce the flame and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the oil comes to the top.
• Mirchi ki saalan is ready to be served:)!!!!