Telangana stuffed green chilies in spicy gravy (Telangana mirchi ka salan)

The city of Hyderabad is a melting pot of numerous cuisines, including Nawabi, Marathwadi, and the Rayalseema styles of cooking. These diverse cuisines allow Hyderabadians to enjoy a very eclectic palate of flavours and an almost infinite variety of dishes.

This dish is from the Hindu Telangana side of the state. Typical of the cuisine, it is loaded with spices and chillies. It differs from its Nizami cousin in that it is much more pungent and spicy, and the cooking technique differs. These chillies are first stuffed with the spice masala and then fried or oven-roasted (to be healthy) to seal in the flavours. The remaining spice masala is slowly cooked to concentrate the flavours into a curry in which the stuffed peppers float. In the Nizami version, which will be published soon in this blog, the spice masala is blander, and the curry is cooked in layers of oil with the peppers. The flavours are subtler but still outstanding. I have taken the liberty of adapting this recipe to make the presentation more contemporary. I cook down the curry to a thick paste, which concentrates the flavours. I then use this as a base on which to display the stuffed peppers beautifully. The effect and flavours are excellent, and the traditional flavours are maintained and concentrated.

This is an excellent cookbook packed with traditional dishes. It was written by Archana Pidathala as an ode to her grandmother's cooking. This book is so much more than a collection of recipes; it brings to my table a history of the cuisine and people. Wonderfully written and with beautiful photographs, this cookbook fills a gap in my bookshelf in a cuisine I know little about.

For more delicious and spicy dishes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

6-7 fat green chillies for stuffing

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons tamarind paste

1 tablespoon jaggery

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

10-12 curry leaves

3 tablespoons yoghurt, whipped smooth

Cilantro, minced to garnish

For the stuffing:

1 tablespoons white sesame seeds

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

2 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, finely sliced

1-3 teaspoons chilli powder, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salt, to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ginger paste

Slit the green chillies from the bottom to the stem leaving them whole. Carefully remove the seeds and veins. Set aside.

Dry roast the sesame seeds, peanuts, coconut, coriander, cumin, and fenugreek individually on low heat until each is lightly toasted and aromatic. Cool and grind to a fine powder in a spice mill. Set aside. I usually grind the dry spices to a fine powder and then add the peanuts. The peanuts grind into butter and form a thick paste.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onions, cooking them on medium-low heat until golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for an additional 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, turmeric, and salt and mix in well. Take off the heat and cool.

In a small wet blender, mix the ground spices and the onion mixture and grind to a smooth paste with a few tablespoons of water. You want to keep the paste as thick as possible.

Stuff the chillies with the paste. You will not use all the paste, but that is OK. Layer the chillies on a lined baking sheet and broil in the oven till the peppers are blistered and charred in spots. Turn them to get an even char on all sides. Alternatively, you can fry them, but I always choose the healthier option without oil whenever it does not compromise the flavour.

Meanwhile, mix the remaining paste with the tamarind, jaggery, water, and salt. Heat the oil in a wide pan, add the paste, and fry. Cook gently for 5 minutes till the curry is cooked and aromatic. Add the yoghurt and cook till the yoghurt has cooked into the curry, about 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and chilli. Finish by adding the garam masala and stirring in. Take off the heat. The curry can be prepared at this stage and left for assembly till later.

To assemble, heat the curry until hot. Gently add the stuffed peppers and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes until the insides of the peppers are warmed through. Gently spoon the peppers onto a wide, shallow dish. Drizzle the curry around the peppers. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

For a more contemporary serving plate, heat the curry until it forms a very thick paste. Thickening the curry concentrates the flavours, spiciness, and tartiness. Layer this on the bottom of the dish and gently place the warmed chillies on the paste. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.