Mirch ka salan

Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 40 - 50 min

Difficulty level: moderate
Source: self
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients:

For paste:

Oil: 1 tsp (and more for the gravy, see below)

Onions: 1 large (chopped)

Peanuts: 1 cup (roasted)

Sesame seeds: 2 tblsp (roasted)

Shredded coconut: 1 cup

Ginger: 1/2 inch (chopped)

Garlic: 8 pods (minced)

Cloves ('lavang'): 5-6

Tamarind juice: 7 tblsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp (and more for the gravy, see below)

For gravy: (tsp == small spoon in your Indian spices box!)

Oil: 1 tsp

Anaheim chilies: 6-7 (long)

Curry leaves: 5-6

Dried red chilies: 2 (hand crushed)

Cumin seeds: 2 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: 4 tsp

Coriander powder: 1.5 tsp

Turmeric powder: 1 to 1.5 tsp

Black pepper: 2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Lemon: 2 1/2

Chili powder: 4-5 tsp

Garam masala: 6 tsp

Procedure:

For paste:

Heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds & cloves. Once you hear them sputter, add chopped onion and saute until golden brown. Then, mix in the coconut and fry for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Fry for another minute. Turn off heat and let cool for a few minutes. Transfer this to a blender jar. Add the roasted peanuts and sesame seeds to the jar. Add little water and grind to a fine paste (add water as required).

For gravy:

Slice chilies on the sides but, letting the ends stay in tact (refer to pic). Keep chilly stock if you'd like to. Heat oil in a pot, add cumin and mustard seeds. Once they sputter, add curry leaves and crushed dried red chilies. Add paste from the blender jar and bring to boil. Add tamarind juice, boil for a minute. Then, add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, black pepper and squeeze in lemon. Mix well and let cook for about a minute. Add water to create a thick pasty liquid. Now would be a good idea to taste this before you add chili powder so you could adjust salt and lemon as required. Add chili powder, continue to cook for a minute and then add the sliced chilies. Let cook for about 15 minutes till the chilies are completely done. Finally, add garam masala. Mix well and turn off heat. Cover pot for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy mirch ka salaan with naan, jeera rice or biryani.