Salna (சால்னா) is a runny gravy that is usually served with Briyani, Tamilnadu style Parotta (or Brotta 😬) and sometimes with other dishes too. Adding this runny gravy to flaky parottas, let it all soak the gravy and then kozhachu adichifying it is absolute bliss 😋 Sigh if there is one thing i miss terribly in Ireland is the wide variety of food that are easily available in India. Be it the variety of greens, fresh vegetables in the market, small hole in a wall restaurants that serve excellent dishes, bakeries and the list goes on. Though due to covid most people have stopped eating outside or odering food. When making dishes like Salna at home here it definitely takes me back to namma ooru. The best part of salna is the oil floating on top of the gravy.
There are so many methods in which you could prepare Salna. It can also be prepared with Veggies, Chicken or any other protein sources. I made a very basic version with whatever ingredients available at home.You can add boiled cauliflower, potato, carrot and peas to this gravy and serve it as a sidedish with Chapathi/Poori too. You can also use this as a base gravy and add Tofu/Paneer..Becoz why not? 😆. Let me try with Paneer and update here how it goes. eft over Salna can be used for making Kothu Parotta. Since I added a lot of whole spices to Biryani itself, for this tomato salna I added only basic flavorful spices. Like I always say if you want to improvise the recipe kindly go ahead and add your preferred ingredients 🙂 The recipe as it is tastes delicious.
You can also check Brinjal Salna recipe that is slightly different from this gravy. It goes well with Biryani too.
Note :
The following measurement serves two. Some onions might turn bitter when you grind them. I have had terrible experiences here with white onion and red onion. Hence I used only one small red onion for making this gravy. I added two teaspoons of Jaggery powder just to balance the heat from whole spices. This step is optional if you prefer a spicy gravy.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Onion, Green Chilli
- 1 teaspoon black pepper add extra if you want a spicy gravy
- 1/4 inch Cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon Saunf
- 1 Clove
- 2 Green Cardamom
- 1 small Bayleaf
- 2 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1/2 cup Grated Coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon ghee
- 3 Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 2 teaspoon Jaggery Powder
- 3 teaspoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients
To roast & grind :
For the gravy :
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- Heat ghee in a frying pan
- Add saunf, bayleaf, cinnamon stick and cloves
- Saute for a minute and then add saunf, black pepper, cardamom, coriander seeds
- Continue sauteing until the coriander seeds are roasted well
- Then add garlic, green chilli & onion and wait until the raw smell goes off
- Later add coconut and saute everything together
- Make sure the flame is medium to low during this whole process. We don't want to burn the spices. It changes the taste of the gravy
- Let it cool down and then grind this to a smooth paste by adding water
- In the same frying pan add one teaspoon of oil
- Add chopped tomato pieces, salt,turmeric powder and kashmiri red chilli powder
- Saute for a minute or two. Tomatoes will start to become mushy. At this stage add the ground coconut masala paste
- Keep stirring the mixture. Add approximately one cup of water, the remaining two teaspoon oil and let the whole gravy boil for 4-5 minutes in low flame
- Add jaggery powder and turn off the heat
- Add extra water depending on your preference. Adjust salt and serve the delicious spicy gravy with Biryani or Parotta