Chicken salna is the best side dish for South Indian style parotta. You will see many shops along roads and highways serving parotta with chicken salna. The mere sight of the famous street food makes you hungry and crave those flaky layered parotta dunked into the aromatic salna. I always look forward to eating this when I visit Tamil Nadu.
A fragrant watery chicken salna with the unique blend of freshly roasted like cardamon, fennel seeds, cinnamon, clove, peppercorns, jeera and grated coconut. Another main thing that adds more flavour to the recipe, is the fat from the chicken bones and skin.
PREPARATION TIME : 10 mins
COOKING TIME : 30 mins
TOTAL TIME : 40 mins
INGREDIENTS :
For masala :
Cardamom - 4-5
Cinnamon -1 inch
Cloves - 4-5
Fennel seed - 2 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Pepper corn -1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
For chicken curry :
Chicken - 1/2 kg
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chilli - 4-5
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Corriander powder - 2 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Salt - As per taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Onion -2 (big)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 2
Corriander leaves - to garnish
METHOD :
Roast the item in the masala part except coconut till golden color, then add coconut and give it a toss.
Once cooled grind to a coarse paste without adding water.
Chop onions and tomatoes length wise and add slit green chilli.
In pressure cooker add oil and bay leaf, once you are able to smell the flavour, add onion and green chilli and toss till translucent.
Then add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, corriander powder and the freshly grounded paste and give it a toss till it releases aroma.
Add tomatoes and mash them. Once it is mashed, add chicken and enough water to immerse.
You can add more water to salna normally this gives the watery content in hotels.
Cook in a pressure cooker till 3-4 whistles in medium flame.
Once pressure releases add chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with parotta.
PICTORIAL :
Your ingredients for grinding.
Roast it till splutters with oil except coconut. Then add coconut till you can smell the amazing aroma. Once it cools down, grind to coarse without water.
Your ingredients for salna
In a pressure pan add oil and bay leaf once aroma comes add onion and let it turn translucent.
Add tomato and when it turns mashy, add chicken give it a stir. Add all the spices and freshly grounded powder.
Once you smell the aroma, it may take 1 more minute. Add enough water to make it to the consistency level of your wish. Pressure cook it till 3- 4 whistle on medium flame.
Serve hot with parotta or dosa.
TIPS :
In chicken salna you can mainly add bones and fat that will enhance the flavour of your dish. This will give the hotel taste in your dish.
You can add green chilli for a spicy taste, while you add onions.