For Spice Lovers:Mirchi Ka Salan/Green Chillies in Peanut-Sesame Sauce

I had never tasted this dish….only heard about it as an integral part of Hyderabadi cuisine.The other day while watching ‘The Best Thing I Ever Ate-Spicy’ on food network ,I saw Ted Allen vouching for the Mirchi Ka Salan which he ate at an Indian Restaurant in New York as the best spicy dish ever. I knew I had to make it.The husband is a big time fan of spicy stuff…so I knew that this dish will be a hit!!! Before I forget ..A big thanks to Ted Allen for the inspiration!

In hindi, Mirchi means chillies of all kinds & Salan is an Urdu lingo for a curry or sauce.The only irritating part of the making this dish is that everything crackles & splutters a lot!!! So be ready for a major cleanup!!!First its the crackling of all kinds of seed while being dry roasted & and then its the spluttering of sauce while cooking to every nook & corner of the kitchen within its reach! And these are the times when I really really miss my kaamvaali bai and the empress kinda life I had in India where I used to just walk out of the kitchen after the cooking & she used to wash the dishes and wipe the floors!!….I miss her so badly at times  Anyhow,the dish is worth all the effort and aftereffects too……I spent almost 15-20 minutes cleaning the stove top and the kitchen walls

The salan is divine.Its nutty with peanuts, has a distinct taste of sesame seeds and tingles in the mouth.At the end of preparation ,your house will smell like the royal kitchens at the rajwaras of Hyderbad.I know I m gonna make it again and again  I have used jalapenos to make this curry.And it was not a very hot curry, it was just spicy.You can actually add some teaspoons of sugar to mellow it down ! Your dish Your wish

Also while handling chillies, wear your gloves unless of course you wanna jump around the house with sore eyes !!! The dish has to be prepared with fresh jalapenos only, dried will not do because scraping the juicy flesh of the jalapenos and then combining it with nutty creamy sauce is the highlight of the curry and that’s the divine feeling I m talking about!It makes a great side dish with Mutton Biryani or a normal dal- rice combo.

You can make eggplants or corn on the cob in the same gravy.I used the left over gravy with some shrimps the next day and it tasted good.

What I needed:

1/2 b fresh jalapenos [or any fleshy green chilli of your choice]

Dry Ingredients:

1 tbsp white poppy seeds [khus-khus]
1/4 cup white sesame seeds [safed til]
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

Sauce

2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds [rai]
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds [methi dana]
3 tbsp oil [ I used canola]
2 large onions , thick sliced
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp red chili powder [ optional]
2 tbsp thick tamarind pulp
3-4 curry leaves
Salt to taste

How I did it:

Wash and pat dry the jalapenos. Make a slit in each lengthwise.Scoop out the seeds and veins from them.I did not remove all of the seeds because I wanted to keep my gravy  little spicy.Its upto you!!! You can keep the stems intact if using smaller chillies.I removed the stems because I used jalapenos.Cut the chillies into halfs or thirds.I did.You can keep them whole too.Keep aside.
In a small pan , dry roast all the dry ingredients one by one and set them aside.Rub off the skins of the peanuts after they are cool. Grind them all separately in a spice grinder/coffee grinder to a fine powder without adding any water. Set aside.
Grind the onions to a smooth paste in a blender.In a cooking pot,heat the oil on medium high.Once hot enough,add the green chillies.The oil will splutter as you add the chillies so cover with lid.Carefully stir fry them for 3-5 minutes. Once done remove the chillies to a plate and keep aside.
For the sauce :In the same hot oil, on medium heat add the cumin seeds,brown mustard seeds, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds.Allow the spices to splutter for a minute till you smell the aroma. Add the onion paste and immediately cover the pan with a lid because the paste will splutter. Allow it to saute for 3-6 minutes covered.

Next, lower the heat , remove the lid and add ginger garlic paste and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the sesame seed powder,poppy seeds powder,corinader powder, cumin powder and peanut powder and stir fry the masala for 2-5 minutes or until you see that the mixture comes together and starts leaving oil on the sides of the pot.
At this point add red chilli powder [if using], and salt.Keep stir frying the masala for about 3 minutes on medium low heat. Stir fry until you are done away with the raw odor of the peanuts and the ginger-garlic paste.
Next, dilute the tamarind paste with 2 cups of water and mix well.Add the pulp to the pot along with the fried green chillies and stir well.Cover the lid and let the gravy simmer for 15-20 minutes the chillies are well cooked in the masala gravy.
Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!!

Sending this to Show me your curry event by Divya of dil se.

Sending this to Two for Tuesdays.