As usual, when I was looking through my recipe note books, I came across this recipe of Mirchi ka Salan, a very famous dish from Hyderabadi cuisine. This is Tarla Dalal’s recipe.
I didn’t have the green chillies. But I had the small brinjals (baingan).  The recipe seemed to almost similar to bhagare baingan. So I thought of using brinjals instead of the mirchi in the salan recipe.

The only change that I did in this recipe was to add Kashmiri red chill powder in the tempering. I did that to give a rich and beautiful red colour to the gravy.

It came out very well and all of us enjoyed eating this with hot steamed rice drizzled with melted ghee. Hope you all would enjoy too:)

Ingredients

Small brinjals – 250 gms

Oil – 2- 3 tbsps

For the masala paste

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Garlic – 5-6 cloves

Onion – 1

Tomatoes – 2

Ginger – 1 inch

Grated coconut – 3 tbsps

To be ground to a powder

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Sesame seeds – 2 tbsps

Peanuts – 2 tbsps

Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp

For tempering

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Oil – 2 tsps

Mustard – 1 tsp

Kalonji ( onion seeds) – 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek ( methi) seeds – 1/2 tsp

Cumin ( jeera) 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Coriander powder – 2 tsps

Cumin ( jeera) powder- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Tamarind – amla ( goose berry) sized

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and slit each brinjal lengthwise into four, leaving the stems on so the brinjals remain joined at the stem. Keep it immersed in water.

Soak tamarind in 2 cups of water.

Add all the ingredients mentioned for the masala paste in a blender and grind to a smooth paste.

Dry roast the ingredients mentioned for the powder. Cool and grind to a powder.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pan. Drain the brinjals and wipe it. Add it to the hot oil. Add little salt and sauté the brinjals till it becomes soft. Remove the brinjals from the pan and keep it aside.

To the same oil ( if required add little more oil) add the ground paste. Sauté for few mins. Then, add the ground powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and salt to taste. Mix well and let it cook till oil starts floating on top.

Squeeze the tamarind well and take the extract. Add this to the cooked masala and let it boil well till the raw smell of tamarind goes away. Add the sautéed brinjals and mix well. Check for the seasonings and let it simmer on a medium flame for few 10 mins.

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan. Add the mustard. When it starts spluttering, add the kalonji, cumin seeds, fenugreek and curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds and then add the Kashmiri red chilli powder. Sauté for few more seconds.

Pour the tempering over the simmering gravy and mix well. Let it simmer for few more mins and then take off the gas.

Serve baingan ka salan hot with steamed rice drizzled with little hot ghee:)