Hyderabadi Mirchi Ka Salan — Chilli in Peanut-Sesame Gravy (मिर्ची का सालन)

Hyderabad, Telangana — associated with Nizam-era royal court cooking; paired with Hyderabadi biryani at weddings and feasts

Mirchi ka salan is Hyderabad's essential biryani accompaniment — large Bhavnagari or banana peppers (mild, thick-walled varieties) roasted, then simmered in a complex gravy of roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, desiccated coconut, and tamarind. The technique requires dry-roasting peanuts, sesame, and coconut separately, then grinding them together into a coarse paste. This paste is cooked in oil with onion, ginger-garlic paste, coriander and cumin powder, and tamarind water into a rich, nutty, tangy gravy that has no equivalent in any other regional Indian cuisine. The chillies are first lightly grilled or pan-roasted to blister their skins — this mellows their heat and adds a smoky quality.

Served alongside Hyderabadi biryani and raita at the same meal. The sourness and richness of the salan provides counterpoint to the saffron-milk-aromatic biryani.