Sun dried Curd Chilies- a delicious crisp chili preserve marinated in yogurt for few days and then sun dried
Sun-Dried Curd Chilies, also known as Mor Milagai, Sandige Menasu, Mirapakaya, or Dahi Mirchi, are a traditional South Indian summer preserve. Summer is the best time to make them because the hot sun dries the chilies perfectly. Although you can easily find curd chilies in stores, they usually contain a lot of salt. I prefer making them at home, where I can control the salt level and enjoy a batch that stays fresh for up to a year.
These tangy, crispy chilies pair beautifully with almost any meal. I especially love serving them with curd rice, sambar rice, dal chawal, khichdi, or even a simple roti and sabzi.
How to Make Curd Chilies
To make curd chilies, marinate fresh green chilies in sour yogurt or buttermilk seasoned with salt, roasted fenugreek powder, and a pinch of asafoetida. While the fenugreek powder and asafoetida are optional, I highly recommend adding them because they enhance the flavor.
Choose mildly spicy, slightly large, thick, and plump green chilies. Wash them well and make a lengthwise slit in each chili, leaving the stalk intact if it is fresh.
Whisk the sour yogurt or buttermilk until smooth, then add a little water to thin it slightly. Stir in the salt, roasted fenugreek powder, and asafoetida.
Add the slit green chilies to the yogurt mixture and gently press them down so they stay submerged. Place a slightly heavy plate over the chilies to keep them from floating.
Let the chilies soak overnight.
The next morning, remove the chilies from the yogurt mixture and spread them in a single layer on a plate or tray. Dry them in direct sunlight throughout the day. Refrigerate the remaining yogurt mixture.
In the evening, bring the chilies indoors and return them to the same yogurt mixture. Let them soak overnight.
The following morning, remove the chilies again and dry them in the sun.
Repeat this soaking and sun-drying process for 5 days. By the end of the fifth day, the chilies will be completely dry and ready to store.
Store the dried curd chilies in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. They keep well for up to a year. Whenever you’re ready to serve them, deep-fry or shallow-fry the chilies until they turn crisp and lightly golden. Enjoy them as a delicious side with your favorite rice or everyday meals.
Choose mildly spicy ,slight big and plump green chilies for making curd chilies,Wash and slit the chilies from the center so they will absorb the curd 
Add salt,roasted fenugreek powder ,pinch asafoetida in the sour buttermilk and add the green chilies in it and soak overnight at room temperature.
Next day take out the curd chilies from the buttermilk ,spread on the plate and keep in sunlight for the whole day
Repeat the process for 4 days- soaking chilies in buttermilk overnight at room temperature., next day take out the chilies from the buttermilk,keep the remaining buttermilk in the refrigerator and sun dry the chilies during the daytime.
After 4 days the chilies will change there colour and become creamish like the pic shown below.
Now discard the buttermilk and sundry the chilies for 3-4 days or till they are dried completely . Make sure to dry them completely else they get mold .
When they are dried completely then store in an airtight jar and shallow fry or deep fry on low heat when needed.
Serve these Fried Curd chilies with Curd Rice, Sambhar Sadam, Tamarind Rice with some Instant Mango pickle
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Sun Dried Curd Chilies
Ingredients
- 200 Gms Green chilies/ Hari Mirch
- 2 cup Sour Yogurt/ Khatta Dahi
- 1/2 tsp Roasted Fenugreek Powder
- Pinch Asafoetida/ Hing
- Salt To Taste
Instructions
- Wash the green chilies and then slit from the center.
- Tale Yogurt in a bowl and add some awater to dilute it and then add salt,asafoetida, roasted fenugreek powder and mix it well
- Now add the slit green chilies in the prepared buttermilk and mix.
- Put a small plate over the chilies so they will submerge in the buttermilk else they will float on the top.
- Keep the chilies soaked overnight ,next morning take out the chilies from the buttermilk and spread on a plate in a single layer and dry in direct sunlight . Keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator till next use.
- In the evening bring the chilies inside and take out the yogurt from the refrigerator and soak the chilies again in the same buttermilk overnight at your kitchen counter(dont keep the soaked chilies in the refrigerator)
- Repeat the process for 4 days .
- Then discard the yogurt and sundry the chilies for 3-4 days ot till they are dried completely .The drying time depends on the heat in the weather.
- Make sure to dry them completely else they get fungus.
- When you want to use just shallow fry or deep fry few chilies on low heat till dark brown in colour and become crisp.
- The leftover fried chilies can be stored for few days in an airtight jar.
- Serve with curd rice, sambhar rice,khichdi or with any thing of your choice.
Rs
Are there variety of green chillies you recommend that is available in the US?
anjanaskc
you can use serrano,jalapenos, Hatch chilies , The thicker the chilies the more time they take to dry but taste better
Nuzat
Soaking of chillies overnight in buttermilk should be done in the refrigerator or outside?
anjanaskc
keep outside at room temperature only, no need to keep in the refrigerator
Satyendra Pandey
I have been in constant search for this genuine Sun-Dried Curd Chilies after I had consumed it in 1973 in Hyderabad in a Tamilian Family where they compelled me to stay for 3 months.
After that I could not get that quality and have stopped buying it any more when I could not get it from even Manglorian shops. I found them extremely bitter.
How can I get it now please?