Salem Style Plain Salna for Parotta | Empty Salna | Hotel Style Plain Salna

Plain Salna/Empty Salna is a base gravy which is served with parotta. Here I am sharing the Salem hotel-style plain salna. Salna is nothing but gravy which is pronounced as chaalna.

This is an onion-tomato based thin gravy. Each place has its variation in preparing this gravy. This is a typical roadside shop salna. This is very simple to prepare and extremely delicious gravy. This is the base gravy served and you can add any vegetables, chicken, or mutton according to your preference. Spices along with grated coconut are sauteed until the golden brown color and made into a paste. This paste gives a delicious taste to this salna.

As poppy seeds are banned in the UAE, I have used cashews. If you have poppy seeds, do replace cashews with a tbsp of poppy seeds as it gives the exact salna taste of the road-side shop. As we are adding roasted gram the gravy thickens. So do add enough water to keep the salna thin. Salna must be watery, so adjust the consistency according to the needs. This salna not only goes well with parotta, but it also goes well with biryani, idli, dosa, and chapati. Now let us see how to prepare this recipe.

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Salem Style Plain Salna for Parotta | Empty Salna | Hotel Style Plain Salna

Print Recipe

Delicious Salem hotel style plain salna for parotta.

• CourseMain Dish
• CuisineSouth Indian

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	15 min

Cook Time

30 min

Servings Prep Time 4 people 15 min

Cook Time 30 min

Salem Style Plain Salna for Parotta | Empty Salna | Hotel Style Plain Salna Print Recipe Delicious Salem hotel style plain salna for parotta. CourseMain Dish CuisineSouth Indian Servings Prep Time 4 people 15 min Cook Time 30 min Servings Prep Time 4 people 15 min Cook Time 30 min

Ingredients

To grind

• 1/2 Onion finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Coconut grated
• 1 Green chili
• 1 tbsp Coriander seeds/Vara Kothamalli
• 1 tbsp Roasted gram/Pottukadalai
• 1 tsp Fennel seed/Sombu
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds/Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Pepper Corns/milagu
• 5 Cashews/Mundiri or poppy seeds/gasagasa 1 tbsp
• 1 handful Mint Leaves/Pudina
• 1 tbsp oil

Other ingredients

• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 2 Tomatoes coarsely ground
• 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 1 strand Curry Leaves/Karuveppilai
• 2 1 inch Cinnamon stick/Pattai
• 2 Cloves
• 1 Cardamom/Elachi Black or green
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• 1 tsp Curry Masala powder
• 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves/Kothamalli
• 3 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Servings: people

Instructions

To grind

1. In a pan add a tbsp of oil. Once the oil gets heated add all the ingredients under " To grind" one by one and saute until it turns golden brown. Let it cool completely.
2. Transfer the cooled ingredients to a mixer jar, add a 1/4 cup of water, grind to a smooth paste, and set aside.

To make salna

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add 3 tbsp of oil. Once the oil gets heated up, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and let it crackle. Then add onion, curry leaves and saute for a min.
2. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes. Now add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, curry masala powder and saute until oil separates. Add little water so that masala will not get burnt.
3. Then add coarsely ground tomato, a little salt for tomato, and saute until the oil separates. Add a tbsp of coriander leaves and saute for a min.
4. Then add ground coconut paste, 1 to 1 and a half cups of water, salt to taste, close the lid and cook for 12 to 15 mins. Mix in between twice or thrice.
5. Once done, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. This salna goes well with parotta, biryani, roti, idli, and dosa.

Recipe Notes

• If you have poppy seeds, do add it, as it gives a nice taste to the salna. As poppy seeds are banned in the UAE, I have used cashews.
• You can either use black cardamom or green cardamom while sauteeing.
• This is the base recipe. You can add either vegetables, chicken, or mutton to this gravy.
• Use any branded curry masala powder. ( This is not garam masala powder).

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