How long does Empty Salna take?

30 minutes from start to finish. That is 10 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking.

How many people does Empty Salna serve?

6. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.

Is Empty Salna vegetarian?

Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.

Is Empty Salna spicy?

It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.

What do I need to make Empty Salna?

1 cup Coconut (Grated), 5 Cashew (full), 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds, ¾ cup Tomato, 1 cup Onion, 3 Green Cardamom, and a few more listed on this page.

Do I need a pressure cooker for Empty Salna?

No, it is cooked in an open pot.

How many calories are in Empty Salna?

About 199 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Empty SalnaCook

Empty Salna

Name: Empty Salna
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian, Tamil Nadu
Ingredients: ¾ cup Tomato, Roughly Chopped; 5 Cashew (full); 1 cup Coconut (Grated), Grated; 4 tbsp Sunflower Oil; 3 Green Cardamom; 2 Star Anise; 4 Cloves; 1 inch Cinnamon; 0.50 tsp Fennel Seeds; 1 cup Onion, Slices; 2 Green Chilli, Slit; 20 Curry leaves; 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste; ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder; 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder; 1.50 tsp Coriander Powder; 0.50 tsp Garam Masala Powder; 0.50 tsp Fennel Powder; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Mint Leaves, Finely Chopped; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped; 2.50 cup Water; 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds

Also known as Plain Salna, Salna Gravy, Gravy for Parotta, Street-style Salna · Veg · Curries & Gravies, Kuzhambu, Sambar & Rasam

Curries & Gravies Kuzhambu, Sambar & Rasam Vegan Low carb Gluten-free Dairy-free

Total30 min

Prep10 min

Cook20 min

Serves6

Per serving199 cal

Spicemedium

Good for: Party, Rainy Day

Cook along

8 steps, each one filmed

A short video for every step, so your hands never have to leave the pan.

Start cooking

Empty salna, a Tamil Nadu parotta gravy of whole spices and tomato thickened with coconut, poppy seeds and cashews. Medium-spicy, serves 6, 30 minutes, video.

Low calorie

100% would make this again14 cooks

Ingredients

23 items

Cooking for6 servings

Tomato, Roughly Chopped¾ cup
Cashew (full)5
Coconut (Grated), Grated1 cup
Sunflower Oil4 tbsp
Green Cardamom3
Star Anise2
Cloves4
Cinnamon1 inch
Fennel Seeds0.50 tsp
Onion, Slices1 cup
Green Chilli, Slit2
Curry leaves20
Ginger Garlic Paste1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder¼ tsp
Red Chilli Powder1 tsp
Coriander Powder1.50 tsp
Garam Masala Powder0.50 tsp
Fennel Powder0.50 tsp
Salt1 tsp
Mint Leaves, Finely Chopped2 tbsp
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped2 tbsp
Water2.50 cup
Poppy Seeds1 tbsp

Contains: cashew or other tree nuts.

Nutrition

One serving, and the whole batch of 6. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.

Nutrient	Per serving	All 6
Energy	199kcal	1194kcal
Protein	2.2g	13g
Carbohydrate	10g	62g
Fat	18g	105g
Fibre	4.2g	25g
Sugar	2.8g	17g

Cookd masalas for coconut (grated)

Method

1
Grind the tomato into a paste.
Tomato
2
Soak the poppy seeds and cashew nuts in water for at least 10 minutes. Grind it to a fine paste along with the coconut.
Cashew (full)Coconut (Grated)Poppy Seeds
3
In a pan, heat oil and add star anise, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and fennel seeds.
Sunflower OilGreen CardamomStar AniseClovesCinnamonFennel Seeds
4
Add the onion, green chilies, and curry leaves. Saute until the onion turns translucent.
OnionGreen ChilliCurry leaves
5
Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 minute or until the raw smell disappears.
Ginger Garlic Paste
6
Add all the spice powders and salt. Mix well.
Turmeric PowderRed Chilli PowderCoriander PowderGaram Masala PowderFennel PowderSalt
7
Add the tomato puree, coriander leaves, and mint leaves. Saute for a couple of minutes until everything is well combined.
Mint LeavesCoriander Leaves
8
Add the ground coconut paste and the water. Cover partially with a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Water

Before you start

How long does Empty Salna take?: 30 minutes from start to finish. That is 10 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking.
How many people does Empty Salna serve?: 6. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
Is Empty Salna vegetarian?: Yes. No meat, no fish and no egg.
Is Empty Salna spicy?: It is medium: 2 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
What do I need to make Empty Salna?: 1 cup Coconut (Grated), 5 Cashew (full), 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds, ¾ cup Tomato, 1 cup Onion, 3 Green Cardamom, and a few more listed on this page.
Do I need a pressure cooker for Empty Salna?: No, it is cooked in an open pot.
How many calories are in Empty Salna?: About 199 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Tips from other cooks

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C
A Cookd cookFebruary 2023
came out very good and tasty
C
A Cookd cookDecember 2023
Thank you😋yummy
D
DHARANIApril 2023
came out well... yummy 😋🤤
ManjuJanuary 2022
Super easy and was very yum!
J
Jayasri VijayakumarNovember 2021
simply awesome 👏
S
Sai AdharshDecember 2025
Good one tasty
S
SivaranjaniOctober 2025
Taste so good..
S
Sangamithra ShanmugamJune 2025
good
T
ThrishaJune 2025
started cooking with cookd thank you so much the whole team for giving this app
B
BellaMay 2025
Came out perfectly! Thank you for the recipe!!!