Mirchi ka Saalan

Paradise at Hyderabad, is a common name and the most heard name too... Its always good food there, My parents neither werent worried about me going away nor about food cos my Dad had taken me to all the place there yrs before I started my job at Hyderabad... With lotsa new friends and more place to explore for food and sightseeing it was feasting time every other day... I have had food at almost all the road side shops and even big hotels and resort, (Alankrita is one famous resort to visit) in Hyderabad and for Biriyani and Roti they served Mirchi ka Saalan. Mirchi ka Saalan was a name that I never have heard of until I started working at Hyderabad...

I just love the taste of Mirchi ka Saalan, but it was only at restaurants and hotels I had it, my hostel never serve it, anyways we cant expect hostels to serve Mirchi ka Saalan he he... I moved out and took an apartment at Begumpet it was fun and full of excitement, cooking was a pain since we dint have a refridgerator to store milk and other things we happened to cook less and that to with things that dont need a refridgerator to store... That was the time when I became friends with my neighbor, who was totally dead against in letting the house to spinsters cos she was a stay at home Mom who loves to talk and gossip during her mid day free time... Somehow we did become friends and she liked me very much for the simple reason that we shared common interests like cooking, baking, embroidery etc and I spoke Telugu too...

It was a ritual that she invites me when ever she made fish, cos she knows that I love Fish... Once when she invited me she had made Mirchi ka Saalan I was so happy that she invited me cos I had a feast and I learnt how to make this, ever since then when ever I got an opportunity I made this but Kris hates this, sometimes he has to deal with it no other go and one such day is today...



Ingredients:

Long Hots - 7-8 nos.
Onion - 1 small finely chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind - small lime size
Cooking Oil - 3 tbsps
Caraway Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - a few
Salt to taste
Water

For the paste:

Coconut - 2-3 tbsps
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 5-6 pods
Tomatoes - 2 large

For the powder:

Peanuts - 2 tbsps
Caraway Seeds - 1/4 tsp
White Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Poppy Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red Chillies - 4 nos.



Method:

In a pan dry roast all the ingredients for the powder one by one cool it and powder the ingredients and set aside. Add all the ingredients for the paste with some Water and paste it. In a pan add 2 tbsps of Cooking Oil and roast the Long Hots (2 0r 3 at a time). Be cautious while you roast, if you roast on high flames the Long hots will loose their skin and the Oil will splutter.

In the same pan add Caraway Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seedsand Fenugreek Seeds when they pop add the chopped Onions, Turmeric Pwd and Coriander Pwd. After about a minute pour the paste in and let it cook for 4-5 mins (appr.) stirring in between.

Now add the Powder and adjust Salt and add more Water and Chilli Pwd if needed cover and cook for a few more mins. Then drop the roasted Long Hots in them and pour the Tamarind Water to it cover and cook for a couple of mins, garnish with Cilantro.

Serve with: Roti, Biriyani

I am sending this recipe to

Deesha's -- South Indies



Sathya -- Think Spice...think Caraway Seeds"