This recipe of Mushroom Salna has been long overdue, I made and posted this on my Instagram more than a month back. I have been cooking, experimenting, clicking pictures and taking note of new recipes, but as usual the updates on the blog have not been as fast as I want them to be. Covid-19 and lockdown is demanding 200% from all of us and I am trying not to burn myself going at super speed. I highly appreciate all the sweet comments, likes, feedback and your pictures on my recipes – even though I have not cared about the numbers, at the end of the day it is really motivating. Thank you for sticking with me, patiently awaiting my recipes and trying them. Anyway, I digress. Lets talk about this Kaalan Salna.
Salna is a runny gravy with onion-tomato-coconut based masala paste that’s usually served as side dish for parotta in Tamilnadu. It is different from kurma recipe in terms of the consistency and proportion of ingredients. Whole Wheat Parotta and Vegetable Salna along with onion raita is one my most favorite combinations. So what’s special about this Mushroom Salna?
Let us talk about freezing vegetables. Almost all vegetables (chopped/grated) can be frozen in ziplock bags or airtight containers. I talked in detail about deep-freezing vegetables and how to use them in my Instagram post. I usually chop all the vegetables that are going to be used within a week and store them in fridge in airtight containers. Anything more than a week, I put them in freezer. While freezing vegetables, portion them and store them to be used once. I usually take out the box of vegetables I want, run them through water at room temperature and use it directly in curries/gravies. Except onions, tomatoes, potatoes and garlic – I prep almost every other vegetable. Before freezing vegetables, wash them thoroughly, wipe them dry and then freeze them off. That’s exactly what I did with mushrooms. There are certain vegetables like gourds, cucumbers and green leafy vegetables – which stay fresh in the fridge only for a couple of days once chopped. I just prep them a day in advance. Vegetables like pumpkin can be chopped in large chunks and stored in airtight container in fridge for over 10 days, freezing might not be ideal. If you stay in a place where there is a lot of moisture in the air, you can also store your dry pulses and flours in freezer. There is no need to thaw, but taking out the necessary quantity and letting it come to room temperature is enough.
The day I made this Mushroom Salna, I didn’t have fresh coconut as we were not able to source fresh coconut for weeks. So I did the next best thing, used cashews, fried gram and poppy seeds to thicken the gravy. I also finished off the salna with a dash of thick coconut cream (made from ready to use coconut milk powder) The Salna turned out rich, creamy and really delicious. You could totally skip the coconut milk but use fresh grated coconut to grind the masala based on the ingredients you have available. I served it with whole wheat parotta and it was a super hit combo!
📖 Recipe
To prepare the salna masala – In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add fennel seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and garlic. Fry for a few seconds.
Next add roughly chopped onions and tomatoes. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Keep it covered and cook on low flame for 6-7 mins. Remove from heat once the onions & tomatoes are soft.
Once cooled down, grind into a smooth paste along with cashews, poppy seeds, fried gram and green chillies. Set aside.
To make Vegetable Salna – In the same pressure cooker, heat oil. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick and clove. Fry for a few secs and then add curry leaves.
Add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent.
Next add spice powders – red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Fry for a minute.
Now add the prepared salna masala.
Add chopped mushrooms.
Next add salt as needed and chopped mint & coriander leaves.
Add a cup of water. The gravy must be runny. Check for salt and spiciness.
Pressure cooker for 1 whistle and remove from heat. Let the pressure drop naturally. The gravy should be thickened and mushrooms cooked.
Add thick coconut milk and mix it well. If the gravy is too thick, add another ¼-1/2 cup of water.
Serve hot with Parotta or any Indian bread or Idli or Dosa or Appam.
If you have fresh coconut and no coconut milk, you can grind it along with the masala. Adjust spices as per preference. Use any choice of vegetables as per availability along with mushrooms. This gravy should be runny, add more water as needed.
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