MIRCH KA SALAN

This is not a Sunday morning like post for a hardcore Bengali.... but I liked so much preparing it yesterday that I felt like sharing the joy with my readers today...... I am taking interest in vegetarian recipes, enjoying them. What was the fondness for? Well...that is the pleasure of cooking something different from my own cuisine..... Me being a predominantly Bengali cook, I do not experiment much in the kitchen! I was satisfied with the texture of the curry.... 

Of late there had been an urge to post vegetarian recipes too as been requested from different quarters. There has to be some kind of balance of vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes on my blog, I feel. This recipe is heavily influenced by HYDERABADI MIRCH KA SALAN....but I have purposefully omitted the word Hyderabadi because I was running out of white sesame seeds and curry leaves at home...hence did some alteration with regards to the spices.

MIRCH KA SALAN is a green chilli curry made with peanut paste, sesame seeds and few other spices along with tamarind juice. It is a traditional Hyderabadi dish prepared in weddings and other special occasions..... a spicy dish served as a side to Biryani or with chapati too. The gravy is thick n grainy  due to the use of peanuts. The big chillies used here is mildly hot... we would discard the seeds too.... hence you can go ahead with it...

INGREDIENTS :

Large Green Chillies : 10
Coriander Powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 2
Ginger Paste : 1 tsp
Roasted Peanut Paste : 2tbsp
Melon Seed paste : 1/4tsp
Onion [grated] : 1
Tamarind Juice : 2tsp
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds : 2 pinches

METHOD:

Slit the chillies a little, discard the seeds. Wash them and rub with salt.

Heat oil in a wok. Temper with mustard seeds. Add the grated onion, sauté till golden brown.

Add the peanut and melon seeds pastes, sauté for 2 minutes. As the pastes separate from the oil, add the chillies, sauté for about 2 minutes.

Add the cumin...coriander...red chilli..turmeric powder along with the salt required. Fry for half a minute.

Add half small cup of water, cover cook for 2-3 minutes at low heat. Add the tamarind juice, stir. Switch off the gas stove, it is done.

Though it is served as a side with Biryani, my personal preference is to serve it with South Asian flat breads. Oh! can I already foresee happy faces this evening....let us hope the same!