Vegetable Salna prepared at home interesting right!! Yes. Salna or Chalna is a Parotta sidedish usually called as Parotta chalna. This chalna is a very flavourful, spicy, mouthwatering gravy mostly in watery consistency. It is very famous in South India as a street food, almost everyone will be familiar with this Salna. In my hometown Trichy, we could find these shops in every nook and corner, but mostly non-veg versions of salna will be sold. One or two shops would be selling these vegetable salna and till today whenever I go to my hometown, I never miss to taste these yummy salna with crispy parotta’s. For Non-Veg version, vegetables can be replaced with mutton/chicken and it is a sure treat for non vegetarians. Though the ingredient list is long, if you organize everything before preparing, it is simple to make.
Vegetable Salna
Vegetable Salna | Parotta Chalna | Parotta Sidedish
Preparation + Cook Time: 50 minutes | Serves: 3 to 4
- Mixed Vegetables – 1 cup (carrot, beans, peas, potato)
- Big Onion – 1
- Tomato – 2 (Small)
- Mint Leaves – 10 to 15
- Curry Leaves – 2 sprig
- Soya chunks – 1/2 handful
- Oil – 3 tblsp
- Salt – To taste
- Big Onion – 1
- Garlic – 4 pods
- Tomato – 1
- Fennel Seeds – 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon – Small piece
- Star anise – 1
- Cloves – 2
- Cardamom – 2
- Kalpasi – Few
- Cashew – 5 to 6
- Red Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
- Coriander Powder – 1 1/2 tsp
- Grated Coconut – 1/4 cup
- Fennel Seeds – 3/4 tsp
- Bay Leaf – 1
- Pepper Corns – 1/2 tsp
- Cinnamon – 1
- Cardamon – 1
1. Chop all the veggies, grate coconut and get ready with the ingredients. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan, add all the ingredients given in the table ‘To Roast and Grind’ (except coconut).
2. Saute for 2 mins until the raw smell leaves. Switch of flame, add grated coconut and give a quick stir. Let it cool down. Grind it into a smooth paste with little water. (I forgot to capture this picture). Roll boil water in a pan, add soya chunks with salt.
3. Switch off flame immediately and keep it closed for 5 minutes. Now open the lid, the soya chunks would have increased in size. Rinse well in cold water and squeeze the extra water from the soya chunks, keep by side.
4.In a pressure cooker, heat oil and temper with the ingredients given in the table ‘To Temper’. Then add curry leaves, mint leaves and let it wafts nice smell. Add onions and saute till transparent.
5. Then add tomatoes and all the veggies. Now add salt and turmeric powder.
6. Add soya chunks and the grinded masala paste. Mix everything well.
7. Add 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook, for 2 whistles. After the pressure subsides, open the cooker, you will see oil floating on top and you will get nice smell. Check for salt and if you feel salna is watery, simmer for 5 minutes.
Delicious Vegetable Salna / Parotta Chalna is ready.
Parotta Sidedish
1. For more spiciness, you can add few pepper corns while roasting.
2. Never skip cashews while grinding which gives richness to the gravy.
3. For plain chalna, skip all the veggies and go ahead with only onions and tomatoes.
4. Be sure not to burn the spices while roasting which gives a bitter taste to the gravy.
5. Curry leaves and mint leaves adds an excellent flavour to the Parotta Chalna.
6. Don’t skip soya chunks which gives hotel style gravy.
7. Adjust water consistency as per your preferences if you want the salna to be thin or thick.
Parotta Chalna
