Mirchi ka Salan

[cteavin]

I was in India over the winter holiday studying in a proper school for 10 to 12 hours daily — it was bliss!

Since I’ve come home I can really taste the difference the types of produce and the freshness of the meats make on a given dish. Not cooking Indian everyday, I want to continue learning by keeping up the dialog I had with my teachers and the other students, hopefully with people here.

In this post I was hoping to talk about Salan’s as in Mirchi ka Salan (Green Chilies in Sauce)

I have two recipes and I’d love discussion on how you make it.

The first version we made contained equal portions of roasted peanuts, sesame, coconut with a healthy bunch of fresh coriander and mint, a couple of dry red chilies, about a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste, salt and turmeric. (This particular teacher emphasized tasting over measuring.) These were placed in a mixi and ground into a fine paste.

Next, in a large kaldie we heated sesame oil then added, in order, about a teaspoon each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, a sprig of fresh curry leaves, and finally the large split green chilies and cooked until the skins were seared. We then added the paste and about a cup of water and balanced it with a few tablespoons of tamarind juice and jaggery syrup then cooked it until the oil came out (about 25 minutes). It was really nice — and hot. The day we did the Hyderabad dishes was the only day I got sick in six weeks in India: way too spicy for my insides. (lol)

The second recipe (made a different day) was prepared without coconut. In the mixi we added about 1/2 cup each of roasted peanuts and sesame seeds and added to that dry roasted coriander seeds, cinnamon bark, cumin, cloves and blended it into a fine paste thinned with a balance of tamarind juice and jaggery. In the kaldee we sauteed finely minced onions until very brown, added about a teaspoon of ginger garlic pasted then tomatoes and cooked until the oil came out and to that we added the paste and a cup of water and the seared chilies. Cooking was about 20 minutes.

This particular teacher said that some regions add yogurt after the oil comes out.

I would love to know how you all make your salans.

In case anyone wants to know, this is where I studied.

http://www.iactchefacademy.com/home.html

[Jenni]

Interesting. I have not looked in depth at the website, but what region's cuisine did you learn about? Remember that regional cuisines vary hugely. Or did you learn a sort of pan-Indian menu?

ETA:

Incidentally, how stupid, I forgot to answer your questions! I don't think I've ever eaten or made a mirchi ka salan with fresh mint or jaggery in it. I also usually put coriander seeds and cumin seeds in the paste, and use less sesame than peanut and coconut. Also..I'm trying to think now...pretty sure that onions usually find their way into my recipe.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Jenni (log)

[cteavin]

It was pan-India.

One day we learned Bengal dishes and the next went down to Madras and the day after we'd learn working class meals from Mumbai -- they were as inclusive as they could. As you know, just a short drive takes you to a new style of cooking. The course was six-weeks, five days a week and gave me a good foundation (and three extra kilos).

[Jenni]

Where were the teachers themselves from?

[thampik]

I absolutely love Mirch Ka Salan.

The recipe I use seems to be a hybrid of the two approaches you describe.

Shallow fry green chillies (the large, mild ones) until well spotted all over and keep aside.

Make a paste of 1/4 cup Roasted Peanuts, 1/4 cup Dessicated Coconut, 1” Fresh Ginger, chopped and 1 tsp Sesame Seeds. Add 1 tsp Asafoetida. Cook the salan paste in ghee until the oil leaves it.

Add 1/2 cup yogurt, whisked smooth and a pinch of Tumeric to the salan paste. Add salt to taste.

One of the "golden rules" of salan-making is alleged to be the relative proportions of the peanuts,coconut and yogurt used => 1:1:2 is the ratio to use.

Add 2 tbsp Tamarind paste and enough water to make it to a sauce consistency. Cook for a couple of minutes till the water and tamarind blend with the paste to make a smooth sauce. Add the fried peppers and cook for a few minutes.

[cteavin]

@ Jenni, the main three chefs who worked with me were from Madrass, Calcutta, and Orissa and the students were, literally, from every part of India from the hill tribes on the Chinese boarder to small towns in Tamil Nadu. Seeing the diversity in their many faces was an education in and of itself.

My teacher told me of those proportions, too, but said they were regional. Do you know where that style of 1:1:2 comes from? I still haven't had it made that way -- project!

[Jenni]

cteavin:

Thanks, that's interesting.

To throw another variation out there, I've seen khus khus (white poppy seeds) used in mirchi ka salan too. And kalonji in the tadka.

[thampik]

Inspired by @Jenni's throwaway remark ( ), I just had to make a Mirch ka salan with Khus khus and Kalonji!

This is how it turned out...