Salna is a spicy, delicious side dish served with parotta in roadside hotels of Tamil nadu (Kai endhi bhavan). It is very popular in Madurai. Empty Salna recipe is nothing but a plain, watery, tomato based spicy gravy packed with awesome flavour. But today I made vegetable salna recipe for parotta. Whenever I think about parotta, the side dish that immediately strikes my mind is Salna. This road side hotel gravy is my favorite more than vegetable kurma that is served in restaurants. Nothing can beat this combo.
Before marriage, my dad used to buy parotta salna almost twice in a month. We used to buy the parotta just for salna which tastes good for dosa, idli and chapathi as well. So we buy less parotta and ask for more salna ;). My mom makes idli /dosa additionally and we relish the salna with it. Even nowadays when I visit my mom’s place , my lovable dad never forgets to buy this for me.
Last week I bought frozen parotta for the first time just to prepare this salna. When I searched for the recipe, I got so many. Finally I made my own by combining all the recipes based on the salna I tasted. Usually in vegetarian salna , you can’t find any vegetables except onions, skin of tomato and a layer of oil floating on top and may be some pieces of cauliflower. I have also shared a plain tomato salna. But I added some vegetables just to make it healthy. We loved its taste. Its taste will surely remind road side hotels salna to you.
Lets see how to make parotta salna at home. Give a try and let me know how it turned out for you. Hope you will love it like me ;). If you have salna and parotta leftover in hand, you can make delicious kothu parotta too.
Mixed Vegetables ( carrot , beans , peas and potato, cauliflower) – 1/2 cup ( I add 1 cup)
Ginger – Garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
Big onion –1 no (finely chopped)
Tomato – 1 no (-do-)
Mint leaves – a few
Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
Bay leaf – 1 (optional)
Black stone flower – 1 (optional)
Salt & water – as needed
To grind:
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Tomato – 2 nos
Red chilli powder – 1.5 tsp (use 3/4 tsp for less spice)
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Jeera powder – 1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder OR Chicken masala powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon – 1 small stick
Cloves – 2-3 nos
Elachi / cardamom – 1 seed
Fennel seeds /soambu – 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut – 3 tbsp
Khus khus / Poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts – 3 nos
Salt & water – as needed
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE SALNA
Wash and Cut all the vegetables of small size uniformly.
In a kadai, heat oil and add the spices, ginger, garlic, onion, tomato and spice powders.
Mix well till tomato mushes. Then add the grated coconut, cashews, poppy seeds. Mix well and switch off the flame. After it cools down, add little water and grind to a smooth paste.
In a cooker base, add oil, bay leaf, black stone flower and Ginger garlic paste, onions, mint leaves and sauté till raw smell emanates. Now add the chopped tomato pieces and saute well till it turns mushy.
Now add the ground masala paste,required salt and all the vegetables. Add enough water and pressure cook for one whistle.
When you open the cooker, you’ll see a layer of oil floating on top and you get a nice aroma. If you feel the water is more, allow it to boil for sometime by simmering the flame which makes the oil separate more. Remove and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with Parotta, dosa, idli and biryani. Enjoy !
NOTE
If you want the salna to be watery, add little more water after opening the cooker and allow to boil.
U can also add coconut milk at the end instead of grinding coconut .
For variations, try adding all the masala while sauting instead of grinding part.
Adjust the amount of chilli powder according to your taste. You can even add it at the end and boil for sometime if required.
Delicious salna..I wanted to give this a try at home..Never tasted it though..But now I can blindly follow your recipe..Im sure it will be a hot at home!!
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner
wow.. super hot salna chitra… i seen mutton salna only be'coz in my home too my thambi bought with parotta… after seems you ll try veg version for me… VIRUNTHU UNNA VAANGA
Is salna similar to salan that we get in AP? A watery concoction that goes well with biryani. At least all major eateries serve it here. And as you say there are no vegetables in it at all but yet it is a great accompanying dish.
hi i made this salna for parotta. parotta came out some what ok. but salna tasted excellant.the taste, consistency ,flavour everything came out very well. thank u.
Hi chitra,
I have tried your veg salna atleast 6 times without knowing its your recipe. It comes out truly amazing. I have become a expert cook with this recipe. The salna has become such a hit that I make it atleast once a month. My wife has a broad smile the moment I ask if I shall make salna. Excellent way of detailing your recipes makes it easy for me. I do make adjustments in spice level, masala level to suite my daughters taste. 5***** rating for this popular tasty recipe. Keep it up.
Keerthi
I did this today ,it was so yummy .My husband repeatedly asked where u got this recipe from .The spice was little high for us but i adjusted using some lemon juice at the end .Wonderful salna chitra
Wow bucket full of salna. You sure do love your salna. I love salna, but to eat, not have a bath with it. Looks pretty good, will try and post comments again
Instead of coconut, you can increase the quantity of poppy seeds to 2 tbsp, cashews to 5 nos. You can add a tsp of rice flour while grinding. It helps to give a binding. But the taste of salna will differ as there is no coconut. Still tastes good i feel 🙂
Tried your receipe twice…second time, made it as side dish for Biriyani for a big get together, everyone liked it…many of my friends, it went well with parota than biriyani..glad I tried it and it was sooper Yummy. Thank you.
Mam,
If possible plz post this recipe with step by step photos. When I tried for the first time it came out too good but the second time it tasted a bit sweet. I don't know the exact onion tomato ratio balance. Thanks for the recipe mam.
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