Saturday, January 14, 2012

Mirchi Ka Salan

A new start into the new year. New hopes. New responsibilities. New wishes. New resolutions. Wishing everybody a wonderful year ahead. So, I'm back with a new post into the year. The times are tough again with a packed schedule at work and no internet at home. Yes, absence of internet has become a real handicap. Since more than two weeks there is no internet and phone connection at home and we have realized the hard way how dependent we have become on this. It is really difficult, at least not impossible, to get things done without being connected on the net.


Fine, at last we got ourselves a surf stick, instead of waiting for the new contract to reach us. So, this explains my delay in posting for the Blog Hop event this time. Nevertheless, I do not want to miss the fun and here is my entry from Veena's blog Veena's Veg Junction. Veena has a lovely collection of vegetarian recipes and the moment I saw this curry, I was excited to try it.


Capsicum or Bell Pepper is a good vegetable which has always taken a back seat in our hearth. My husband is not a big fan of capsicum and even I ignored it. Recently I saw in the television about the nutritional benefits of capsicum. It is rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Mirchi ka Salan was "the apt curry" to put the bell peppers to good use, at the same time, suitable to Indian taste buds.


The original recipe can be found here. I almost followed her recipe, but for a few changes. I did not have sesame at hand. But, instead I added some pepper corns which added to the pep of the curry. Here is my version of the preparation.

Preparation time: 40 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Coloured bell peppers - 1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow
Ground nuts - 3 Tbs
Pepper corns - 1 Tbs
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Onion - 1
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
Coconut - 5 Tbs, grated
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Nigella seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Tamarind - marble sized
Salt - to taste
Oil - as required

Method:
Heat a little oil in a pan and roast the ground nuts, pepper corns and cumin seeds for about 5 minutes. Cool and grind the mixture and keep aside.

Slice the bell peppers into thin strips. In the same pan, add a little oil and shallow fry them for about 5 minutes. Keep aside.

Slice the onions. In a blender/mixer, take the onions, grated coconut, ginger and garlic and blend well.  Soak the tamarind in hot water and set aside.

Now, for the cooking, heat a little oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and when they crackle, add the fenugreek and nigella seeds. Now add the blended onion paste along with tomato puree. Fry till the raw smell fades off. Now, add the dry ground nut mixture and cook for a few minutes.

Add on the dry spices and salt. Let this cook well with required amount of water. Now, comes in the tamarind juice and fried bell peppers. Let the gravy cook for a few more minutes and turn off the heat when done.


Verdict:
The curry goes well with rotis and chapatis. We had it with hot steaming rice. You know what? My husband who first twisted his face on hearing that I'm gonna try this curry, actually wiped off the plate. He said, the curry tasted really very well. The combination of coconut, ground nuts and peppers were absolutely wonderful. Since I didn't have sesame seeds as mentioned in the original recipe, I used sesame oil for cooking instead. It gave a nice aroma to the dish. The spicy and tangy curry was a delight. I'm definitely gonna prepare this more often in the future. Thanks to Veena :)

Sending this post to Blog Hop Wednesdays Version 2.0 - Week 13, an event hosted by Radhika of Tickling Palates.

21 comments :

  1. Yummy and tempting mirchi ka salan. Excellent clicks.

    Deepa
    Hamaree Rasoi

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  2. Looks great Aysha. Nice to hear that u liked it. Thanks for trying it out

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  3. One of the gravies which pairs well with Biryani and pulav, yummy!

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  4. have heard so much about this curry but never tried it..i guess i shud give it a go sometime

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  5. Mouthwatering here, the picture itself tempts me a lot.

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  6. spicy spicy ......ur curries are mouthwatering Aysha...so r u pics !

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  7. Super delicious curry n very appealing...

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  8. Here's to a new year full of happiness and cheer--Happy New Year! I've tasted this dish at my sisters but never made it myself. Loved you first pic, so colorful!

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  9. I adore mirchi ka salan!!!Bell peppers give a nice flavor...I love this curry with biryani!! Fab clicks as always... And yes, living without internet can be pretty tough..like living without electricity!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  10. I like the color of the curry.What did you use for ground nuts?

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  11. @All, thanks everyone for your lovely comments.

    @Plateful: Happy new year to you too dear!!

    @Love and other spices: I have actually used ground nuts for the curry, as mentioned in the ingredients list. Did you mean something else dear?

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  12. Love the clicks. I know how tough life can get without the basics and internet has also become one such. Happy New year to you.

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  13. Beautiful photos and love your version of Mirch Ka Salan. Happy New Year and happy blogging!

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  14. Hi Aysha, Happy new year dear! hope you have had a great start to your year! The salan looks droolicious!

    :) Priya

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  15. hmmmm no internet and connectivity can be capsizing...but i face this every time i move to a new place which is pretty much every year. you end up investing that time in so many fruitful stuff...totally unplugged. and the salan is my choice with garam rotis! happy new year!

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  16. Yummy curry n nice presentation, looks so inviting too....

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  17. This looks absolutely wonderful, delicious curry. Wishing you a very Happy New Year :)

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  18. Delicious curry and I love mirch ka salan with hyderabadi briyani (especially the one you get in Paradise). Your version looks yummy!

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  19. Wow.....one of my favorite recipe....looks palatable.....it's been a while since i visited here...how r u dear? I have created a facebook page for 'Muslim Food Bloggers'...take time to check around....

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  20. Hi gal- wishing u a fabulous 2012;hope to see more of your posts; the dish looks yum

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