Plain Salna/ Tomato Salna/ Chalna/ Tomato Gravy for Parota

Plain Salna

Mostly in restaurants and hotels Parotas are served along with Chicken Salna( kurma, gravy) or Vegetable Korma( Salna). But if you noticed in street side fast foods or fast food kind of hotels parotas were always served with Plain Salna, meaning that the gravy served along with parota will not have any chicken pieces or vegetables.

These plain gravies are made only with tomatoes so they are called as thakkali salna. Though no veggie or meat is used there is no need to compromise in its taste, it will be as good as Chicken Chalna or Vegetarian Chalna.

If you are looking for Vegetable Salna click here.

If you are looking for Chicken Salna click here.

Here goes recipe for tomato chalna

Ingredients

Onion large sized chopped- 1 no

Tomato( Banglore or Apple variety) large sized chopped- 3 nos

Green chilly broken- 2 nos

Curry leaves and Coriander leaves- few

Ginger and Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp( +/-)

Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil required

Coconut Masala paste( grind to fine paste)

Fresh coconut grated- 1/4 cup

Cumin powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder- 2 tbsp

Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

Fennel/ Sombu powder- 2 tsp

Mint leaves- few sprigs

For tempering

Cinnamon stick- 1" piece

Cloves- 4 nos

Cardamom- 4 nos

Bay leaf- 1 no

Tomato Salna

Method

Heat oil in a pan, when hot add tempering ingredients and fry till the aroma of the whole spices rise. Now add the chopped onion and curry leaves and fry for few mins until onion turns transparent. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves. Next add the tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes are mashed. Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to the cooking tomatoes. Add enough water to the pan and bring the mixture to boil. When gravy boils add the ground coconut masala paste. Reduce the heat and cook the chalna on low heat until the gravy slightly thickens and oil floats on top. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot Tomato Salna with Biryani or Parotta.

Thakkali Chalna