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Indian

Mirchi ka salan

Vegetarian

Long, mild green chillies simmered in a nutty, tangy gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame and coconut with tamarind. The classic Hyderabadi partner for biryani.

Mirchi ka salan is an Indian curry, ready in about 45 minutes and made with green chilli, peanuts and sesame seeds. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Mirchi ka salan: whole green chillies in a peanut-sesame gravy with curry leaves
Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
209

Ingredients

6 servings

For the paste

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Dry-roast the peanuts (opens in a new tab), sesame (opens in a new tab), coconut, coriander and cumin (opens in a new tab) separately until golden. Cool and blend with 150 ml of the water to a smooth paste.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil and fry the chillies until blistered in spots. Lift out and set aside.

    • 4 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    In the same oil, pop the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), then add the fenugreek (opens in a new tab) and curry leaves (opens in a new tab), followed by the onion (opens in a new tab). Fry until golden, then add the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger, turmeric (opens in a new tab) and chilli powder.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the nut paste and fry, stirring, until the oil begins to separate. Add the remaining water, tamarind, jaggery and salt.

    • 5 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Return the chillies and simmer gently until the gravy is thick with oil pooling on the surface.

    • 8 min
    • low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Hyderabad, Telangana, Telangana, India · Well documentedMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Side dishes
Cooking method
Toasted, Shallow-fried, Simmered
Taste
nutty, tangy, spicy (chilli heat), rich
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Green chilli · Peanuts · Sesame seeds · Desiccated coconut · Ground coriander · Cumin
Techniques
Toasting · Shallow-frying · Simmering · Bhunao · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Peanutsfrom peanuts
  • Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

209 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 163 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 8%
  • Carbohydrate 27%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy209 kcal128 kcal
Protein4.5 g2.8 g
Carbohydrate14.9 g9.1 g
Net carbohydrate11.6 g7.1 g
Sugars6.6 g4 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.4 g
Fibre3.3 g2 g
Fat16.3 g10 g
Saturated fat2.4 g1.5 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium497 mg304 mg
Salt equivalent1.2 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
339 mg
Calcium
78 mg
Iron
2.3 mg
Magnesium
53 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
31 µg
Vitamin C
104 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
38 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The salan thickens as it cools; it should be pourable but rich.

Common mistakes

  • Using small hot green chillies — the dish needs long, mild, thick-walled chillies.

Serve with

  • Serve alongside Hyderabadi biryani with raita.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Loosen with a little water and warm gently.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Green chilli, long, mild chillies (bhavnagri or banana peppers), slit lengthways and seeded250 g
Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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