Shishito Pepper Salan

A curry made using nuts and spices; this Shishito Pepper Salan is a delicious take on Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan. It is an easy and great side for roti, rice or biryani! 

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What is Salan?

A Hyderabadi side for biryani or to serve with roti or rice; Salan is a delicious recipe that is easy to make. 

This salan is often served with blistered chillies (Mirchi ka Salan) in it or without. This peanut coconut based sauce is a great side for the Hyderabadi Dum Biryani. 

Every time I get the Vegetarian Dum Biryani from the Indian restaurant I get a small container of salan with it. The salan is always the sought after sauce at home! 

So making a BIG batch at home is a great idea. Serving this with home made biryani makes a GREAT dinner for sure! 

What all you need to make this Salan?

This Mirchi ka Salan needs a handful of ingredients. It has three parts; the masala, peppers and the gravy ingredients. 

The masala is made using peanuts, coconut, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, kalonji, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. 

These ingredients are ground together to make a super flavorful masala. The masala is the heart of the salan and is nutty, earthy and super delicious.

The peppers used for this recipe can vary from the spicy jalapeños and Indian chillies to the mild banana peppers, shishito peppers or green peppers (capsicums).

Make sure these are slit and blistered before adding to the curry. Deseeding them before frying is an option too. 

The gravy needs ginger, garlic, chilli, onions and yogurt. These ingredients are cooked till they are completely soft and give the gravy a great taste and flavor.  

Why make this with Shishito peppers?

The peppers that are used in this recipe vary based on preference. 

Most people like to use SPICY chillies in their Mirchi ka Salan. However, we like to use the milder version of chillies for the recipe. 

Shishito peppers are available around this time of the year. They are mild spicy but super flavorful. 

They are great to blister and serve with some salt and pepper or use it in recipes that need mild peppers. 

If you like spicy chillies, replace these by the spicy ones. The resultant curry will be spicy for sure. 

What to serve this with?

This recipe makes a gravy and uses it to make a curry with peppers. 

The same gravy can be used without any peppers to serve with Vegtarian Dum biryani. This salan does not generally have any additions. 

Okra salan is another popular curry served with roti or rice. To make this fried okra is added to the curry and served. 

The dish looks super to serve for any party. The peppers on a bright yellow sauce is a favorite side for all kinds of rice dishes! 

My favorites to serve this with are:

30 minute Instant Pot Biryani

Tofu Tikka Biryani

Steamed Brown Rice

Garlic Naan

Steps

In a pan add all the ingredients for the masala. Dry roast till the coconut is fragrant. 

Turn down the flame and let the ingredients cool completely. 

Grind to a smooth paste using a few teaspoons of water as needed. Set aside. 

Wash and dry the peppers. Make one or two slits in them.  

To blister the peppers; heat oil in the pan. Once hot, add the peppers and let the skin blister. 

Turn them over and let the other sides brown too. Remove and set aside. 

In the same pan add the remaining oil. Heat it.

Once hot, add cumin seeds. Once they pop, add ginger, garlic, green chili and onions. 

Cook on medium flame till the onions are completely soft. 

Add the masala purée and cook for another minute. 

Then add red chili powder, salt and turmeric powder. 

Mix well and add 1.5 cups water. 

Simmer till the gravy boils and the oil floats to the side. 

Add whipped yogurt, mix well. 

Simmer for another minute or so. Add the blistered peppers and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Serve topped with cilantro. The salan is best served with biryani, roti or steamed rice. 

Yield: 3

Author: Smruti

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Shishito Pepper Salan

A curry made using nuts and spices; this Shishito Pepper Salan is a delicious take on Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan. It is an easy and great side for roti, rice or biryani!

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients

For the Masala

• Peanuts 2 tbsp
• White Sesame Seeds 2 tbsp
• Poppy seeds ¾ tbsp
• Kalonji/ Onion Seeds ½ tbsp
• Dried Coconut shredded 1 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds ½ tbsp
• Coriander Seeds ½ tbsp
• Methi/ Fenugreek 4-5 seeds

For the Peppers

• Shishito Peppers 8-10
• Oil 2 tbsp

For the Sauce

• Onion 1 medium, diced fine
• Ginger ½ inch piece, grated
• Garlic 2 cloves, grated
• Green Chili 1, grated
• Yogurt ¼ cup
• Red Chili Powder ½ tsp
• Turmeric Powder ½ tsp
• Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Salt 1 tsp

Instructions

1. In a pan add all the ingredients for the masala. Dry roast till the coconut is fragrant.
2. Turn down the flame and let the ingredients cool completely.
3. Grind to a smooth paste using a few teaspoons of water as needed. Set aside.
4. Wash and dry the peppers. Make one or two slits in them.
5. To blister the peppers; heat oil in the pan. Once hot, add the peppers and let the skin blister.
6. Turn them over and let the other sides brown too. Remove and set aside.
7. In the same pan add the remaining oil. Heat it.
8. Once hot, add cumin seeds. Once they pop, add ginger, garlic, green chili and onions.
9. Cook on medium flame till the onions are completely soft.
10. Add the crushed masala and cook for another minute.
11. Then add red chili powder, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and add 1.5 cups water.
12. Simmer till the gravy boils and the oil floats to the side.
13. Add whipped yogurt, mix well and simmer for another minute or so. Add the blistered peppers and cook covered for 5 minutes.
14. Serve topped with cilantro. The salan is best served with biryani, roti or steamed rice.

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