Salna is one of the famous n flavorful curry which is served along with parotta in Tamilnadu. Generally salna is prepared using mixed veggies, mutton, egg or chicken but my today's post is with a twist of using my favorite veggie "Watermelon rind". Watermelon rind is nothing but the white part of watermelon which is generally threw away by most of them. As it is a water content fruit, the rind part is also very healthy. So, I love to use it in my kitchen with interesting recipes, instead of trashing it. The ingredients and preparation looks lengthy as it also includes grinding but the freshly ground masala enhances taste of this curry and gives a lovely aroma. As I have mentioned above, this is an excellent side dish for parotta and apart from that, this curry tastes very delicious with dosa, idly and chapati.
Check out my previous recipes using Watermelon Rind...
Watermelon Rind Mor Kuzhambu
Watermelon Rind Puli Kuzhambu
Watermelon Rind Kheer
Watermelon Rind Dosa
Watermelon Rind Kurma ( No Coconut )
Ingredients :
2 Medium sized Onions, sliced
2 Small Tomatoes, chopped
2 Cups Watermelon Rind, Finely chopped
3 Green chillies, slitted
Handful of curry leaves
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp Oil
To Roast and Grind :
1 Tsp Jeera
1 Tbsp Saunf
1 inch Cinnamon stick
2 Medium sized Onions, sliced
2 Small Tomatoes, sliced
8 Garlic pods
1 inch Ginger, peeled
Few Coriander leaves
1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder
2 Tsp Chilli powder ( Adjust according to taste bud )
3 Tsp Coriander powder
1/4 Cup Coconut, Finely chopped
1 Tbsp Oil
To Garnish :
Few Mint leaves
Few Curry leaves
Method :
Heat pan and add Saunf followed by Jeera and Cinnamon stick.
Dry roast them and remove from the flame.
Now, add 1 Tbsp oil in a same pan and add Garlic followed by ginger and sliced onions.
Fry them for a minute and add the chopped tomatoes followed by coriander leaves.
Saute till the tomatoes turns soft.
At this stage, add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder and Coriander powder and fry till the raw smell goes off.
Add finely chopped coconut pieces and fry it for a minute.
Remove from the flame and cool it.
Add this mixture along with dry roasted masala ( saunf, jeera and cinnamon ) and grind into smooth paste by adding little water. Keep aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan and add curry leaves followed by green chillies
Add the sliced onions and saute till it turns translucent.
Now, add the chopped tomatoes and saute till turns soft.
Add the chopped Watermelon rind pieces, Turmeric powder, salt and little water.
Close and cook for couple of minutes.
At this stage, add the ground masala and cook for a minute.
Add 1 1/2 Cups of water and mix well.
Close the pan and cook the salna for 10-15 minutes in a low flame or till the oil separates from the curry.
Once done, Remove from the flame and garnish with mint leaves and curry leaves.
Serve hot.
Serving Options :
Serve hot with Dosa, Chapati and Parotta.