The first time I was introduced to Mirchi ka Salan (Green Peppers Curry) was on a flight meal served in the last leg of my journey from San Francisco to Kolkata. That was probably a good 10 years back. I was tired after a 14 hour-long flight and a transit haul at Hongkong (or was it Bangkok, don’t remember!!) and more so as the food served in the first part of the journey was pretty insipid. So a fish biryani and a side of Mirchi ka Salan made for a meal to remember.
Honestly, I didn’t care for the biryani as much but the Salan was something, which was new to my palate and with every spoonful I was trying to break down the flavors and get to the ingredients. Salan is nothing but a Urdu word for sauce and Mirchi is Green Peppers. Usually, the green peppers used does not have that much heat. This particular Salan or sauce that I sampled on-board the flight was not the runny kinds that is generally served with biryani takeaways. It was thicker, smoother with the green peppers, peanut, tamarind and coconut helping to round off the after taste with just the right flavor and heat.
That was then! Since then the basic “salan” (sauce) recipe is one my go-to curries when I have friends over. And paneer is something which is preferred by one and all. I have several paneer recipes up my sleeve like this Malai Paneer here. The good thing is with this particular salan or sauce, you can throw in shrimp, crab, peppers, paneer (un-aged homemade cottage cheese) and mostly anything you can lay your sight on and it renders itself beautifully in the larger scheme of things.
The recipe I am sharing today is Paneer & Mirch ka Salan. I have used Jalapeños here. Fat and fleshy, these green chilies were charred in an open flame and THAT my friends makes the rest of the process a total no-brainer. The charred Jalapeños add the much required smokiness and kick to the recipe. Again, the recipe being Hyderabadi in origin it has a special place in my heart and home. If you don’t know about my Hyderabadi connection, you can get to know about that here.
Print
Paneer & Mirchi ka Salan
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 45
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A delicious and versatile curry base that is perfect with a side of rice or rotis. Try out this Paneer Mirch Ka Salan Recipe at Home.
Ingredients
- Jalapenos – 4 (big)
- Paneer – 1 lb
- Tamarind paste – 2 tbsp
- Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Nigella Seeds – ½ tsp
- Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
- Big Onion – ½, sliced thinly
- Garlic cloves – 2, minced
- Salt – To taste
- Sugar – To taste
- Water – 3/4 cup
- Curry Leaves – Few sprigs
- Red Chilies – Few (for garnish)
For the Masala
- Peanuts – 1/3 cup
- Sesame Seeds – 3 tbsp
- Desiccated Coconut – ¼ cup
- Chili Powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Instructions
- In a pan, dry roast the peanuts, sesame seeds and desiccated coconut for 2-3 mins. Take care not to burn anything. Let it cool.
- Take the jalapenos and brush with a tsp of oil and hold them with the help of tongs in an open flame. Alternately, broil them until the skin is charred.
- Let it cool and remove the charred skin gently. Slice in halves.
- In a pan, add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil and lightly fry the paneer cubes until browned.
- Add the onions and garlic and fry well. Now add the dry roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and desiccated coconut to it.
- Add the chili and turmeric powder to it and grind the above masala and keep handy.
- In a pan, heat the remaining vegetable oil and add the mustard, cumin and nigella seeds. Let them pop.
- Throw in the curry leaves and add the ground masala.
- Add the tamarind paste, 3/4 cup of water and mix well. Adjust the amount of water as needed. Cook the mixture for 4-5 mins.
- Add salt and sugar to taste.
- Drop the paneer cubes and sliced jalapenos. Mix in with the sauce.
- Garnish with a couple of red chilies and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 201
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 115
- Fat: 13
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Protein: 13
- Cholesterol: 3
Keywords: Paneer Mirch Ka Salan Recipe