Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe

What is Mirchi Ka Salan

Mirchi means chili pepper in Hindi and Salan is an Urdu word that means curry. This dish hails from the royalty kitchen of the Nizams from Hyderabad. Their Hyderabadi Dum Biryani is world-famous and so is the accompaniment - Mirchi ka salan, which is served with it. That's why this dish is also called as Biryani salan.

Here, the fried chilly peppers are cooked in a peanut-coconut gravy. It’s the perfect creamy Biryani sauce to be paired with any rice-based dish and it's finger-licking good! I first heard of this Hyderabadi salan recipe in a Bollywood movie. That is when I decided to look it up and when I got to know more about it, I decided to make it! 

Why make it

• Makes a great side to the mildly flavored biryani or rice dish
• It is easy, simple, and quick to make
• It's not as spicy as it sounds but it's definitely delicious to taste
• Very appetizing to taste and look at
• Can be made in 30 minutes
• Calls for basic pantry ingredients
• It's vegan and gluten-free

I have divided the ingredients list into two parts. This part contains all those ingredients that are needed to prep for this Hyderabadi salan recipe.

Mirchi/Chilly Peppers - I have used jalapenos in this recipe because we like it spicy. You can use Bhavnagiri Mirchi or really mild peppers like banana peppers, sweet peppers, shishito peppers, pepperoncini, or even poblano if you can tolerate slightly higher heat. If you love jalapenos, check out Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Biscotti and Jalapeno Poppers recipe.

Nuts and seeds - Peanuts, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds are added to give this gravy a tangy, nutty, and earthy flavor.

Coconut - This will give it an earthy flavor. Use freshly grated coconut or unsweetened dry coconut.

Spices - cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, ginger, and garlic are the aromatics used here. If you can find Kalonji or nigella seeds, then add a tablespoon of that too.

Veggies - Tomatoes and onions are the two veggies you will need in this mirchi curry recipe.

This part contains ingredients that are needed to make the mirchi curry after the prep work is done.

Spices - mustard seeds, chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cardamom, and garam masala are what you will need. In place of garam masala, you can also add tandoori masala.

Jaggery powder is added to balance the flavors. Since it could get spicy, adding a bit of jaggery will help balance it. You can also add a tablespoon of tamarind pulp along with it.

Cilantro and lemon juice are added at the end as a garnish. It gives this Hyderabadi mirchi salan curry recipe an aromatic flavor and a tang.

1. Slit them all the way down and scrape the stems and seeds from inside using a small spoon. This will remove the hotness from it. Wear gloves if needed.
2. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the chilies evenly on all sides. Keep tossing them around so that they get grilled evenly. Take it off the pan and keep it aside for now.

3. In the same pan, roast tomatoes, onions, ginger, and garlic in the remaining ghee for 4-5 minutes.
4. Take it off the pan and let it cool down completely.
5. Transfer to a blender jar and blitz to make a smooth puree.
6. Keep it aside for now.

7. Roast coconut, peanuts, poppy seeds, white sesame seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves in the remaining ghee for 4-5 minutes. Add a teaspoon of vegan ghee if needed.
8. Transfer it to a plate and allow it to cool.
9. Then transfer to the same blender jar.
10. Grind it to a coarse paste by adding water. Keep it aside for now.

11. Heat oil in the same pan, and temper mustard seeds. Once they begin to splutter add the onion tomato paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until it releases oil from the sides.
12. Then add the dry spice powders like turmeric powder, cardamom powder, coriander powder, and chilly powder along with salt. Mix it well and continue to fry the masala for another minute.

13. Add the jaggery powder. Mix.
14. Then add the coconut-peanut ground paste to the pan. Mix it all together, add water and cook this for 2-3 minutes till it begins to boil. Ensure there are no lumps.

15. Finally, add the fried green chilies to the pan. Cook this gravy on medium flame till it thickens.
16. Garnish with garam masala, chopped cilantro, and lemon juice before taking it off the flame. You can also garnish it with fried onions for more flavor and extra punch.

Serving suggestions 🍽 

You can also garnish it with fried onions for more flavor and extra punch. This delicious salan curry will pair well with any kind of biryani, Indian flatbread, or plain steamed rice along with some raita on the side. To keep it healthy, serve this Indian side dish with cauliflower rice or quinoa. However, this is popularly served as an accompaniment to Hyderabadi Biryani or Dum Biryani.

This is a dish you need to make when you are in the mood to indulge. It's not your typical weeknight dinner recipe but more of a weekend brunch meal. Biryani salan can be served at weddings, special occasions, parties, potlucks, during festivals, or on holidays. It's a dish to be enjoyed with all loved ones.

Top recipe tips 💭

No need to rinse the blender jar or the pan between roasting and grinding. Grind the coconut paste first and then the onion-tomato paste. It helps clean the jar out better. To balance the flavors, you can also add a tablespoon of tamarind paste. If doing so, skip adding the lemon juice in the end. Check that the peanuts and coconut are fresh and have not gotten rancid. This will affect the final flavors. The final consistency of the salan should be thick and not very thin. You can also stuff the chilly peppers with mashed potato filling to prepare stuffed Mirchi ka Salan.

Recipe FAQs 📖