A significant amount of my youth, almost four years, were spent in the beautiful twin cities in Deccan. Secunderabad and Hyderabad of very early 1990s were pretty different then though many things continue to exist and hold on even today. Hyderabad, before gaining its fame as a cyber city, had always been known for its Biryanis, Shahi Tukdas and a food spread that could make any other region in the world jealous of the twins. With love for hot, spicy food ingrained in my DNA, I would always take time to relish Mirch ka Salan- an accompaniment served with Biryani - that, if made to my taste, would invariably overshadow the biryani experience itself. With Hyderabadi Biryani loaded with all kinds of extraordinary Oriental spices, Mirch ka Salan, despite the impression that its name carried, would actually taste a balanced mix of sour-sweet-spicy and not really hot. Such a taste is intentional, I suppose. A combo of spice-loaded biryani with a flavoured but not hot Salan completes the biryani experience and one comes out pretty satisfied - no fiery tongue and a lingering taste. It scores over dahi/dahi raita that slips towards bland side even though adding refreshing tinge to the dish.
As on date, biryani is not a routine affair for me; nor I have any expertise with the dish though I intend trying my hand sometime in future. So, I wanted the Salan to be a bit more tha spicy (controlled, as per preference). My aim was to have it as like any other vegetable with roti/chapati or rice and, thus, it had to be given some meat. I had also heard and, probably eaten once or twice, another cousin of Mirch ka Salan, the dish called Baingan ka Salan. Made from the egg plant/brinjal, the dish can replace Mirch ka Salan, esp for those who can't get themselves to have latter. The fact that despite its name, Mirch ka Salan is actually tangy and not really spicy, courtesy choice of green chillies used in the recipe, many people prefer to play safe. For them Baingan one is probably the best alternative.
Having surfed the net for the two recipes, I also came across the combo of the two, Mirchi-Baingan Salan and that is what appeared to fit my bill because of the reasons shared above. So, here how it went.....
Ingredients.....
Fresh Group
Long, light green chillies (ones used for mirch vada; are not really hot; washed before hand) - 06.
Long/tubular brinjals (soft and tender; washed before hand) - 06.
Coriander leave - just enough for garnishing.
Curry leaves - 12.
Ginger - 01 inch.
Curry Group
Peanuts (without shells but with pink skin intact) - 1/2 cup.
White sesame seeds - 1/4 cup.
Cumin seeds whole - 01+01 teaspoon....used twice - once for dry roast (Step 3 below) and once for frying (Step 7 below).
Coriander seeds whole - 1.5 teaspoon.
Nigella/Kalonji - 1/2 teaspoon.
Jaggery crushed - 01+01 teaspoon..... used twice - once for dry roast (Step 3 below) and once for frying (Step 12 below).
Cardamom Black - 02 pcs.
Cardamom Green - 06 pcs.
Dry coconut powder (I used freshly grated coconut) - 1/2 cup.
Cloves - 05.
Fenugreek seeds/Methi - 1/2 teaspoon.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon.
Water - 01 cup.
Red dried chillies - 03.
Misc Group
Onions (finely chopped) - 02.
Garlic - 06 cloves.
Tamarind - enough to make paste wroth one big tablespoon .
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon.
Oil- 1 ladle full or about 06 tablespoons.
Salt - 01 tablespoon.
Steps
1. Wipe the fresh veggies dry if still wet. Slitt vertically so that each chilly and brinjal ends up as a bunch of four loose petals, held together by the respective stems.
2. Dry roast the peanuts on a griddle till darn brown/blackish marks begin to appear on the pink skin. Remove from the griddle, rub a handful at one time between your hands so that the skin peels off fully. Put in a blender.
3. On the same griddle, dry roast sesame seeds till a point when seeds begin to swell up; remove from the griddle and transfer into the same blander where peanuts are waiting.
4. Dry roast all other spices of Curry Group (above) except jaggery, kalonji, mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chillies and coconut. As the aroma begins to build up, transfer into the blender.
5. Add coconut, red chillies and jaggery and 1/4 cup of water and blend well till a fine, smooth but not too thick a paste is obtained. Use more water, if required,d but gradually.
6. Shallow fry brinjals and green chillies in an open pan. Brinjals will begin to change colour but take the pan off when all the chillies have turned light with a scalded skin. Shake off excess oil while taking the veggies out.
7. Add left overs/un-blended ingredients from Curry group and curry leaves to the pan and put it back on the stove. Wait till you see/hear the splutter.
8. Add chopped onions and let these turn light brown.
9. Make a paste of ginger and garlic and add to the pan.
10. Add ground paste and keep stir frying. Oil would start coming out of the mixture.
11. Add salt and turmeric powder and continue stirring for a couple of minutes more.
12. Mix tamarind paste and jaggery in 1/2 a cup of water. Add the mixture to the pan.
13. Add fried veggies, keep the mixture simmering for about 10 minutes on low flame. Stir in-between but otherwise keep the lid covered.
14. Garnish with coriander or curry leaves and serve.
The product.....
Notes
1. Dried red chillies is my addition to add spice to a tangy dish but since these get blended, the red ones are not visible in an otherwise predominantly greenish-brown dish. Red chilly powder, otherwise, turns the hue of the dish to reddish and 'stand out' factor on the table suffers.
2. Dry roasting of condiments is how I like to do things though it is not a must.
3. I have reduced the quantity of sesame seeds to reduce bland taste and a chalky feel that too much of it tends to create,
4. Traditionally, Salan is supposed to be cooked in a pot with a sealed lid. Be sure to keep it covered when the dish is in the final phase.
More RECIPES ......HERE
As on date, biryani is not a routine affair for me; nor I have any expertise with the dish though I intend trying my hand sometime in future. So, I wanted the Salan to be a bit more tha spicy (controlled, as per preference). My aim was to have it as like any other vegetable with roti/chapati or rice and, thus, it had to be given some meat. I had also heard and, probably eaten once or twice, another cousin of Mirch ka Salan, the dish called Baingan ka Salan. Made from the egg plant/brinjal, the dish can replace Mirch ka Salan, esp for those who can't get themselves to have latter. The fact that despite its name, Mirch ka Salan is actually tangy and not really spicy, courtesy choice of green chillies used in the recipe, many people prefer to play safe. For them Baingan one is probably the best alternative.
Having surfed the net for the two recipes, I also came across the combo of the two, Mirchi-Baingan Salan and that is what appeared to fit my bill because of the reasons shared above. So, here how it went.....
Ingredients.....
Fresh Group
Long, light green chillies (ones used for mirch vada; are not really hot; washed before hand) - 06.
Long/tubular brinjals (soft and tender; washed before hand) - 06.
Coriander leave - just enough for garnishing.
Curry leaves - 12.
Ginger - 01 inch.
Curry Group
Peanuts (without shells but with pink skin intact) - 1/2 cup.
White sesame seeds - 1/4 cup.
Cumin seeds whole - 01+01 teaspoon....used twice - once for dry roast (Step 3 below) and once for frying (Step 7 below).
Coriander seeds whole - 1.5 teaspoon.
Nigella/Kalonji - 1/2 teaspoon.
Jaggery crushed - 01+01 teaspoon..... used twice - once for dry roast (Step 3 below) and once for frying (Step 12 below).
Cardamom Black - 02 pcs.
Cardamom Green - 06 pcs.
Dry coconut powder (I used freshly grated coconut) - 1/2 cup.
Cloves - 05.
Fenugreek seeds/Methi - 1/2 teaspoon.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon.
Water - 01 cup.
Red dried chillies - 03.
Misc Group
Onions (finely chopped) - 02.
Garlic - 06 cloves.
Tamarind - enough to make paste wroth one big tablespoon .
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon.
Oil- 1 ladle full or about 06 tablespoons.
Salt - 01 tablespoon.
Steps
1. Wipe the fresh veggies dry if still wet. Slitt vertically so that each chilly and brinjal ends up as a bunch of four loose petals, held together by the respective stems.
2. Dry roast the peanuts on a griddle till darn brown/blackish marks begin to appear on the pink skin. Remove from the griddle, rub a handful at one time between your hands so that the skin peels off fully. Put in a blender.
3. On the same griddle, dry roast sesame seeds till a point when seeds begin to swell up; remove from the griddle and transfer into the same blander where peanuts are waiting.
4. Dry roast all other spices of Curry Group (above) except jaggery, kalonji, mustard seeds, fenugreek, red chillies and coconut. As the aroma begins to build up, transfer into the blender.
5. Add coconut, red chillies and jaggery and 1/4 cup of water and blend well till a fine, smooth but not too thick a paste is obtained. Use more water, if required,d but gradually.
6. Shallow fry brinjals and green chillies in an open pan. Brinjals will begin to change colour but take the pan off when all the chillies have turned light with a scalded skin. Shake off excess oil while taking the veggies out.
7. Add left overs/un-blended ingredients from Curry group and curry leaves to the pan and put it back on the stove. Wait till you see/hear the splutter.
8. Add chopped onions and let these turn light brown.
9. Make a paste of ginger and garlic and add to the pan.
10. Add ground paste and keep stir frying. Oil would start coming out of the mixture.
11. Add salt and turmeric powder and continue stirring for a couple of minutes more.
12. Mix tamarind paste and jaggery in 1/2 a cup of water. Add the mixture to the pan.
13. Add fried veggies, keep the mixture simmering for about 10 minutes on low flame. Stir in-between but otherwise keep the lid covered.
14. Garnish with coriander or curry leaves and serve.
The product.....
Notes
1. Dried red chillies is my addition to add spice to a tangy dish but since these get blended, the red ones are not visible in an otherwise predominantly greenish-brown dish. Red chilly powder, otherwise, turns the hue of the dish to reddish and 'stand out' factor on the table suffers.
2. Dry roasting of condiments is how I like to do things though it is not a must.
3. I have reduced the quantity of sesame seeds to reduce bland taste and a chalky feel that too much of it tends to create,
4. Traditionally, Salan is supposed to be cooked in a pot with a sealed lid. Be sure to keep it covered when the dish is in the final phase.
More RECIPES ......HERE
Kya baat hai mere sher...gr8 going
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