Lamb and Green Chile Salan

The last of the chiles from the garden stare at me everytime I open the vegetable bin in the fridge. I hatch plans to pickle them in mustard seeds. Like some well laid plans, the wayside beckons. How about adding them to a Hyderabadi meat salan? The more I think about it, the more appealing it sounds. I scour my books for an authentic version. I find it in a book given to me by Prassy in 1999!

The lack of mutton makes me choose lamb shoulder. Trimmed and cubed it suffices. I tweak the format, adding the meat along with the ground masala and chiles. The recipe calls for meat to be boiled and added to the gravy. I think my way will imbue the meat with much more flavor. Ground masala, spices, yogurt and lime juice round out the subtleness of this curry. Mild heat comes from large chiles. These Hatch-like chiles are not high on the Scoville scale, but generate enough zing to keep my palate interested.


LAMB AND GREEN CHILE SALAN
Serves 3-4


1 pound Lamb shoulder, cubed
1 cup Yogurt, whisked
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
6-8 large green Chiles
1/4 cup dessicated Coconut
1 teaspoon Khus Khus or Poppy seeds
1 teaspoon Sesame seeds
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
2 large Onions
1 teaspoon Garlic paste
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Coriander powder
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
3 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 Lime
Fresh Cilantro


Rinse lamb and put in bowl.

Add whisked yogurt and turmeric to meat. Stir to mix and keep aside.

Rinse chiles and pat dry. Slice them in half lengthwise.

Peel onions and cut in half.

Grind 1 onion, dessicated coconut, khus khus, sesame seeds and cumin seeds to a smooth paste.

Chop remaining onion into small dice.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.

Add green chiles and saute on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Take chiles out and keep aside.

Drop chopped onion into hot oil and fry till light brown.

Add ground masala to onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes.

The marinated lamb, garlic and ginger pastes, coriander powder, garam masala and salt go into the onions. Saute on high heat for 4-5 minutes. 

Add sliced chiles to meat.

Add enough water to cover the meat.

Pressure cook the lamb for 16 minutes till done. 

If you are cooking the lamb stovetop, add enough water, cover tightly and cook till meat is soft.

Once the meat is cooked, add juice of the lime. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice or roti. 

The salan has a fresh, slight;y sharp flavor. Lamb chunks have a pronounced taste. My garden bounty had softened, turning limp. This last green hurrah makes me yearn for my summer garden. Only six months more! 

Pin It