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Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe | Biryani Salan


Mirchi ka Salan is a spiced, creamy, tangy, earthy, tongue-tickling preparation made with green chillies in a gravy base of nuts, seeds, aromatics and tamarind. It is a famous curry from the Hyderabadi cuisine. Primarily made with green chilli peppers (a.k.a hari mirchi in Hindi), this dish is a must-have with a Biryani in Hyderabad. The Mirchi ka Salan recipe (also called Biryani Salan) may have quite a few steps in its preparation, but is otherwise a simple one. The bold flavors are surely to blow your mind away!

mirchi ka salan served in a white bowl on a green table.

What is Salan

‘Salan’ is an Urdu term for ‘curry’ and ‘mirchi’ translates to chilli. Hence, the name. Not just chilies, but a salan can also be made of various other vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, etc. For instance, I have also shared this Bhindi ka Salan that’s just as awesome.

Other than being the best friend to a Hyderabadi biryani, the Mirchi ka Salan is also a traditional dish made during special occasions and even weddings in Hyderabadi culture.

Mirchi ka Salan recipe has green chilies cooked in a ground mixture of spices, peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut. The dish has a rich nutty flavor and a fine grainy texture because of these ingredients.

About Mirchi Ka Salan

During my trips to the royal city of Hyderabad, I’ve had many opportunities of savoring Mirchi ka Salan. Most of the times when I would order a veg biryani in the restaurants there, it would always be accompanied by a salan and raita.

Since then, the flavors of the Mirchi ka Salan have stayed on my palate and recreating the essence at my home was the need of the hour.

This recipe was also developed because of a special request that I received from one of my readers. I can say this is a really good recipe and you must try this one.

What makes the Mirchi ka Salan unique from other curries is:

  • It is made with green chilies. Otherwise, there are hardly any curry/gravy dishes made wholly with chilies in it.
  • The masala paste in it is made with wholesome ingredients like sesame seeds, coconut and peanuts. Which in turn make it a healthier choice.
  • The beauty of the masala paste is that it tones down the fieriness of the green chilies in the curry and pack an extra punch as well.

I have also added lightly browned onions in the paste which give a really nice rustic touch. Once ground to a paste, it is then cooked in a typical way with tamarind water and then simmered with lightly fried green chilies.

All this results in a lovely, zingy, smooth Mirchi ka Salan which goes exceptionally well with the biryani along with regular steamed rice, veg pulao, jeera rice or any Indian flatbread.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Mirchi Ka Salan

Prepare Masala Paste

1. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready for making the masala paste.

Hyderabadi mirchi ka salan recipe

2. In a pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add ⅓ cup sliced onions (about 1 medium-sized onion, sliced) and sauté till lightly browned on medium-low heat.

browning sliced onions in a pan

3. Add ¼ cup desiccated unsweetened coconut.

adding desiccated unsweetened coconut to the pan

4. Roast stirring often on a low heat till desiccated coconut is lightly golden.

roasting desiccated unsweetened coconut till brown

5. Later, add ¼ cup roasted peanuts and 1.5 tablespoons sesame seeds to this mixture.

adding roasted peanuts and roasted sesame seeds to the mixture in pan

6. Roast for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat.

roasting the mixture in pan

7. Now, take the roasted mixture along with 2 to 3 garlic cloves (chopped) and 1 inch ginger (roughly chopped) in a blender jar.

roasted mixture, chopped garlic and chopped ginger in a blender jar

8. Next, add ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon garam masala powder.

adding red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala powder in the blender jar

9. Add ½ cup water or as required.

adding water in blender jar

10. Blend the ingredients to a fine and smooth paste.

blending the ingredients to a smooth paste

11. Add 1 tablespoon tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water and keep aside for about 20 to 30 minutes.

When the tamarind has softened, squeeze the pulp from it in the soaked water. Set the tamarind water aside.

soaking tamarind in hot water

Prep Green Chilies

12. Rinse 10 to 12 green chilies a couple of times in water. I have used green chilies which are not of the hot variety.

Try to use chillies that are not spicy or pungent. You could also use the larger and bigger sized chillies that is used to make Mirchi Bajji.

If you plan to make the recipe with the large-sized chillies, add 5 to 6 of them.

rinsing green chilies in water

13. Wipe them dry with a kitchen napkin or cloth.

wiping green chilies till dry

14. Remove the chili crowns or you can also keep them intact.

removing the crowns of the green chilies

15. Slit the chilies vertically, but do not break them.

slitting the green chilies vertically, without breaking them

Fry Chillies or Mirchi

16. Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add the slit green chilies.

adding slit green chilies in hot oil in pan

18. Fry the chilies till lightly browned from both sides stirring as needed until you see a some golden blisters on them.

frying green chilies till lightly browned from both sides

19. Remove the green chillies and place them on kitchen paper towels.

draining fried green chilies on kitchen tissues

Make Mirchi Ka Salan

20. Now, in the same pan, add 2 tablespoons oil. Fry ½ teaspoon mustard seeds till they pop and crackle.

frying mustard seeds in hot oil in pan

21. Then, add ½ teaspoon onion seeds or nigella seeds (kalonji) and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.

adding onion seeds and cumin seeds in the pan

22. Add 8 to 10 curry leaves and fry for a minute.

adding curry leaves in pan and frying the mixture

23. Next, add the ground masala paste.

adding the ground masala paste in the pan

24. Stir and mix very well.

stirring ground masala paste in pan

25. Keep stirring continuously on low heat. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes or more till the oil floats on the top and sides of the masala.

frying ground masala paste till oil floats on top

26. Squeeze the tamarind and add the tamarind water along with 1.5 or 2 cups water.

adding tamarind pulp and water to masala paste in pan

27. Mix very well.

mixing masala paste mixture in pan

28. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

simmering masala curry mixture in pan

29. Add fried green chilies.

adding fried green chilies to masala curry mixture in pan

30. Next, add salt as required.

adding salt to masala curry mixture in pan

31. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes more.

simmering curry in pan

32. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves.

garnishing the curry with coriander leaves

33. Serve Mirchi Ka Salan hot with Hyderabadi veg biryani, plain steamed rice or any Indian flatbread.

mirchi ka salan served in a white bowl on a green table.

Expert Tips

  1. Keep a check on the curry, it thickens while cooking. So, add more water if required.
  2. To remove the hotness from the chilies, discard the seeds from the chilies. Also, for a less spicy dish, it is better to use a milder variety of chilies. You can also use a mix of spicier chillies and mild ones for a slightly spicy tasting curry.
  3. If you add the hotter variety of chilies, your curry will become very spicy. So, avoid making this recipe with extra fiery green chilies.
  4. Use only fresh peanuts for the masala paste in this Mirchi ka Salan recipe. Rancid peanuts will spoil the taste of the curry. Also do use roasted peanuts. Prep by roasting peanuts in a frying pan or in the oven until crunchy.
  5. If you don’t want to add chilies to the curry, you can add other vegetables of your choice in it.
  6. You can store the leftover Mirchi ka Salan for about 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator.

FAQs

What is the meaning of salan?

Salan or salana basically means a curry.

For how long the Mirchi ka Salan stays good?

The Mirchi ka Salan stays good for about 1 to 2 days, if refrigerated.

Mirchi ka Salan recipe is a specialty of which cuisine?

A traditional Mirchi ka Salan is a specialty of Hyderabadi cuisine. However, there are many variations of this dish that are made by different people across India.

Apart from biryani, what else can I serve this salan with?

Mirchi ka Salan tastes really good with any Indian flatbread like roti, naan, plain paratha as well as plain steamed rice.

Do I fry the onions in oil or just dry roast them?

You can dry roast the onions. If you want, you can also fry the onions in less oil.

How can I make this Mirchi ka Salan recipe less spicy?

You can remove the seeds of the chilies to reduce the spice level in the curry. You can also use a milder variety of chili for this Mirchi ka Salan.

More Hyderabadi Recipes To Try!

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mirchi ka salan served in a white bowl.

Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe | Biryani Salan

A Hyderabadi special, Mirchi Ka Salan is a lightly spiced, creamy and slightly tangy curry made with green chillies in a gravy base of nuts, seeds and aromatics. This dish is a must-have with a Biryani in Hyderabad.

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Prevent your screen from going dark while making the recipe

Preparing masala paste

  • In a pan add 1 tablespoon oil.

  • Add sliced onions. Stirring often sauté onions until lightly browned.

  • Next add the desiccated coconut. Mix and sauté until the coconut turns light golden.

  • Later, add roasted peanuts and sesame seeds to this mixture and roast for 1 to 2 minutes on low heat

  • Make a smooth paste of the above roasted mixture with garlic cloves, ginger and all the ground spice powders with ½ cup water.

Make tamarind water

  • In a small bowl, soak tamarind with ⅓ cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.

  • When the tamarind has softened, squeeze the tamarind pulp in the water in the bowl. Keep the tamarind water aside.

Preparing green chillies

  • Remove the green chilli crowns or you can also keep them intact.

  • Rinse and wipe dry the green chillies.

  • Slit the chillies vertically, but do not break them. You can opt to remove the seeds from the chillies if you prefer.

  • Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Fry the chillies lightly until you see some blisters on them.

  • Remove and drain on kitchen paper towels.

Making mirchi ka salan

  • Now, in the same pan add 2 tablespoons oil. Fry the mustard seeds on low heat till they crackle.

  • Then, add nigella seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Fry for a minute.

  • Add the ground masala paste. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on low to medium-low heat or till the oil floats on the top and sides of the masala.

  • Now, add tamarind pulp and 1.5 or 2 cups water. Stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes on low to medium-low heat.

  • Add fried green chilies, salt and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes more.

  • Garnish with coriander leaves.

  • Serve Mirchi Ka Salan hot with veg biryani, plain steamed rice or any Indian flatbread.

  • To make a less spicy dish, use milder variety of chilies. You could also use a mix of hot chillies and the mild ones to make a slightly spicy curry.
  • If make the curry with the hotter variety of chilies, it will become very spicy. So, avoid making this recipe with extra fiery and hot green chilies.
  • Opt to remove and discard the seeds from the chilies if you prefer.
  • Do give a slit or cut to the chillies before lightly frying them.
  • Use only fresh peanuts for the masala paste in the salan recipe. Rancid peanuts will spoil the taste. Remember to use roasted peanuts. You can roast peanuts in a frying pan or in the oven until crunchy.
  • Skip nigella seeds, if you do not have them.
  • You could also make the curry with vegetables of your choice instead of green chillies.
  • Any leftover Mirchi ka Salan can be stored for about 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts

Mirchi Ka Salan Recipe | Biryani Salan

Amount Per Serving

Calories 315 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 18g

Sodium 681mg30%

Potassium 175mg5%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 155IU3%

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.1mg7%

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.05mg3%

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 25mg125%

Vitamin B6 0.1mg5%

Vitamin C 55mg67%

Vitamin E 8mg53%

Vitamin K 1µg1%

Calcium 61mg6%

Vitamin B9 (Folate) 251µg63%

Iron 1mg6%

Magnesium 42mg11%

Phosphorus 80mg8%

Zinc 1mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Mirchi ka Salan recipe from the archives first published in October 2012 has been republished and updated on November 2022.

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