Empty Salna (plain gravy)

 The word salan means curry or gravy in Urdu or Hindi. In Tamil it is called salna. Salna or curry could be made with large pieces of meat, fish or vegetables. typically, biriyani would be served with plain or empty salna or salan. I have had salna in Indian restaurants, but do not like the taste. This morning, I watched Chef Venkatesh Bhat on YouTube explain how to make empty salna, and made it for the first time for lunch. I served it with parotta ( layered flat bread). It was amazing. 

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons peanut oil

2 Bay leaves

2 small pieces of cinnamon

4 cloves

4 green cardamom

1 Cup thinly sliced onion (1 medium sized)

2 Tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

1 Cup thinly sliced tomato (1 medium size)

4 Green chili, slit

1/2 Cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro

6-10 fresh curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder (this is not spicy)

1 Tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon Garam masala

salt to taste

1 1/2 Tablespoon chickpea flour (besan)

To Grind to Paste:

1 Cup fresh grated coconut

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (khus khus)

1/4 Cup cashew nuts

                                                             

Method:

1. Grind coconut, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, and cashew nuts to a paste. Keep aside.

                                           

2. Whisk besan with 1/8 cup of water to a paste without lumps. Set aside.

                                                              

3. Heat oil in a  Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the whole spices to hot oil. 

                                              

4. Add onion and cook well until golden brown. Add a pinch of slat to aid in faster cooking of onion. Add ginger-garlic paste, and stir till raw smell of the paste leaves, 2 minutes.

                                                             

5. Add slit green chili, curry leaves, mint leaves, and cilantro. 

                                              

6. Add tomato and salt. Cook well, 5-6 minutes.

                                             

7.  Now add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala. add 1 cup of water, and cook for 5 minutes.

                             

8.Stir in the coconut paste. Add 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil.

                                             

9. Gently stir in besan paste. Add 3 cups water. Cover and cook on medium low flame for 15 minutes. 

                                                 

10. Turn the stove off. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Cover and leave for 10 minutes before serving. 

                                                                

11. Empty salna goes well with parotta, kuska biriyani, jeera rice, set dosa, and appam. I served salna with parotta. 

                                              

Notes:

It is important to cover the salna and cook for at least 15 minutes after stirring in the besan paste. 

Salna is neither thin like soup nor thick like kurma. 

The best way to eat parotta with salna is to pour it over the parotta.

                                                  

Recipe courtesy Chef Venkatesh Bat's Idayam Thotta Samayal on YouTube.