Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan

I tried this today for lunch as my in-laws have come home. I've heard of this from ma sister long back but had not tried or tasted it earlier so I was curious to try this recipe with the lovely Charleston peppers (bajii milagais as locally called) that I had bought a couple of days back. I had adapted the recipe from tarladalal.com with slight alterations in the flow for convenience sake. This was so lovely in aroma & taste and it goes pretty well with rice or rotis.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.      Charleston peppers – 6

2.    Onion – 1 large

3.    Tomato – 2 large

4.    Garlic – 6 Cloves

5.     Ginger – 1” piece

6.    Coconut grated – 2 tbsp

7.     Cumin seeds – 1 + 1 tsp

8.    Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp

9.    Groundnuts – a fistful

10.             Oil – 3 tbsp

11.  Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

12.Curry leaves – 4 or 5 leaves

13. Kalonji or Nigella seeds – ½ tsp

14.Chili powder – 2 tsp

15. Coriander powder – 2 tsp

16.Turmeric powder – 1 pinch

17. Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Dry roast groundnuts, sesame seeds and a teaspoon of cumin seeds and grind them into a powder.

Step 2: In the same mixer jar grind into paste the following ingredients: grated coconut, chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic cloves.

Step 3: Slit the peppers and remove seeds and use it as whole or just chop them into 2” pieces after trimming the ends as I did.

Step 4: Heat oil in a non-stick pan preferably and arrange the peppers to roast them. They become whitish and the skin bulges slightly; more notably a beautiful aroma of roasting peppers just explodes in your kitchen. Just then drain the oil in the pan and keep the peppers aside.

Step 5: In the same oil splutter a teaspoon of cumin seeds, kalonji, mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Step 6: Add the ground masala paste and sauté until the oil separates.

Step 7: Add chili powder, coriander powder, the ground dry masala and sauté for a minute. Pour two cups of water and add enough salt and let it boil for 3 minutes.

Step 8: Add the roasted peppers and turn off stove.

Step 9: Serve hot with roti or rice.

Pudina Paratha

Pudina or Mint that we know as a very flavorful and refreshing herb used in various cuisines is also used extensively for relieving from indigestion, respiratory issues, and nervous strain. I was browsing for recipes of pudina paratha and happened hit the blog chakali.blogspot.in from which I’ve adapted this recipe. It came out really well and my husband credited it to be the bestest paratha I’ve ever made, if I can make, anybody can make. So it is surely worth a try for paratha lovers, umm... otherwise also you can give a try.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (excluding 30 minutes standing time)

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.      Wheat flour – 2 cups

2.    Salt to taste

3.    Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp

4.    Carom seeds – ¼ tsp

5.     Oil – 1 tbsp

6.    Mint leaves – ½ cup

7.     Coriander leaves – 1/3 cup

8.    Curds – ½ cup (I used butter milk)

9.    Garam masala – 1 tsp

10.            Chaat masala – 1 tsp

11.  Butter – 2 tbsp (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Take atta in a mixing bowl and add to it: salt, cumin seeds, caraom seeds, oil, chopped mint & coriander leaves, ½ tsp of garam masala & chaat masala each (in original recipe masalas weren’t added in the dough) and knead with curds into a soft dough and cover to rest it for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Now divide the dough into 4 or 5 equal portions, roll into balls and then into thin circles with the help of rolling pin and dry flour.

Step 3: Apply a teaspoon of oil on the top surface and sprinkle a pinch of garam masala & chaat masala each.

Step 4: Now make a Japanese fan kind of folds with the top surface upside and hold one end at the centre and circle the other end to join it. You get to see a thick bun with concentric circles like in the picture.

Step 5: Use enough dry flour and gently roll this into thick circular parathas. Repeat for all the parathas.

Step 6: Heat tawa, grease oil or butter and cook it like any paratha on both sides until brown and done.

Step 5: Top with a blob of butter and serve with chilled curds or raita.

Idly Upma

I am very much against recooking the leftovers but Idly upma which is a dish prepared with leftover idlies is a definite exception. In fact I love it so much that at times I make excess idlies for dinner to prepare this for the next day’s breakfast.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 7 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

1.      Idlies – 5 or 6

2.    Onion – 1

3.    Green chilies – 2

4.    Curry leaves – 1 sprig

5.     Coriander chopped – 1 tbsp

6.    Oil – 1 tbsp

7.     Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

8.    Bengal gram – 1 tbsp

9.    Urad dal – 1 tbsp

10.            Asafoetida – 1 pinch

11.   Turmeric – ¼ tsp

12. Lemon – ½

13. Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Soak the idlies in clean water for a minute and gently squeeze it between palms to drain the water. Now crush it and collect in a separate bowl. Repeat for all idlies.

Step 2: Heat oil in a kadai and prepare tempering by: spluttering mustard seeds, roasting Bengal gram & urad dal, sprinkling asafoetida, adding curry leaves & chopped green chilies and sprinkle the turmeric powder.

Step 3: Now add chopped onion to the tempering and sauté for until translucent.

Step 4:  Add crushed idlies, sprinkle enough salt and mix well.

 Step 5: Turn off stove, squeeze lemon and garnish with coriander and serve hot. This does not require any side dish.