FOOD TALK
Mirchi march
Pushpesh Pant
Light, nourishing and
tasty, mirchi-murgi ka saalan is an ideal dish for summers
WHO doesn’t know that
the city of beautiful Char Minar is as famous for its signature
delicacies as for its monuments, exquisitely adorned or magnificently
ruined? Mirchi ka saalan in Hyderabad holds its own against
redoubtable contenders like dum ki biryani, baghare baigan and khubani
ka meetha. We love it but there are times when the palate yearns
for something different. No we don’t intend to betray the chilli —
the variety we seek is in terms of spicing and supporting cast.
Years ago, we were
treated to a north Indian hari mirch ki subzi — yes just that
— by Swadesh Jiji, who then lived in a Bengali Market barsati
and was yet to embark on a distinguished career in the UN. She
lovingly deseeded the chillies and stir-fried these lightly with very
thinly sliced pyaaz, sprinkled over with fresh limejuice and
cast a unique spell with just a hint of mint and hara dhania
that served as more than garnish. If memory is not playing tricks
there was also some grated tender coconut to reassure the timid. Then
there is the Rajasthani recipe that drapes plump mirchi in an
ajwain-laced besan batter and doesn’t deep fry but stir-fries
them. There is the southern delight that serves capsicum kari
prepared with peanuts in gravy and a whole lot of stuffed Simla mirch
avatars — deep-fried or baked stuffed with paneer, aloo
or mince. We keep juggling between them but what do we do when yeh
dil maange more?
Mirchi murgi ka
saalan was born in our
kitchen when the desire to pair chillies with mince overpowered us one
day. In hindsight, this seems to be an ideal dish for summers —
light, nourishing and tasty. Very easy to prepare, it doesn’t hit
the piggy bank hard either.
Mirchi murgi ka
saalan
Ingredients
Plump green
chillies 200 gm
Chicken mince 100
gm
Oil 3 tbsp
Bay leaf one
Cloves two
Brown cardamoms
two
Jeera powder `BD
tsp
Kashmiri chilli
powder `BD tsp
Dhania powder 1
tsp
A pinch of mace
and grated nutmeg
Garlic-ginger
paste 1 tsp
Tomato
(medium-sized chopped
fine optional) one
Salt to taste
Method
Wash, wipe dry and
deseed the chillies after slitting them lengthwise ensuring that
these are not cut through and only a hollow pocket is created.
Keep aside. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Put the bay leaf and
other whole spices. When these begin to change colour, add the
garlic-ginger paste and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
Then add mince and
brown well. Sprinkle the powdered masala and blend. Continue
frying on medium low flame for about seven to eight minutes.
Sprinkle a little water if necessary. (Or the tomatoes, if
using). Remove from flame, when the moisture evaporates yet the
mince is moist. Allow it to cool. Discard bay leaf and whole
spices and pack the chillies with the mince. Lightly fry or just
glaze in the same pan. Serve on a bed of remaining mince.
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