Mirch Ka Salan
Cayenne is a red or green hot chili pepper used to flavor chile food dishes and is also used for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapeños, and others.
Ingredients:
12 long hot cayennes or jalapenos
Tamarind – lemon sized ball
Oil – 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida powder – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 5
Mint leaves – 5 (optional)
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
Salt – as per taste
Spice powder:
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Peanuts – 1 tbsp
Dry coconut – 1 tbsp
Poppy seeds – 1 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Spice paste:
Onion – 3
Garlic – 3 cloves
Tomato – 1
Ginger – 1 tbsp
Instructions:
Soak tamarind in a cup of water for 10 minutes. Extract juice and discard the pulp. Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the ingredients given for spice powder. Fry over low heat, till copra is golden brown. Cool and grind to a fine powder.
Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan and add all the ingredients given for spice paste. Fry till the raw smell of the onion goes. Cool and make paste.
Slit chiles lengthwise keeping stalks intact. Remove seeds carefully without separating the segments. (If your skin is sensitive wear gloves). Bring 1 cup of water to boil over high heat with a tsp of salt. Add chiles and blanch for a minute. Drain and keep aside. Reserve water. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in pan. Fry chiles.
Fry till it changes the color like 3 minutes. Remove and drain the chiles and keep aside. In the same pan, add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and mint leaves. Sprinkle turmeric powder. Blend spice paste and fry for 2 minutes.
Mix spice powder and fry for another 3 minutes. Add tamarind juice and fried chiles, adjust the salt. Add the reserved water. Stir gently and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, till oil floats on top of the curry. Serve hot with roti or rice.
From hotpotmeal.blogspot.com