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, 2 Star Anise, 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 197 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; 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds; 5 Cashew (full); 1 cup Coconut (Grated), Grated; 4 tbsp Oil; 2 Star Anise; 4 Cloves; 3 Green Cardamom; 1 inch Cinnamon; ½ 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; 1½ tsp Coriander Powder; ½ tsp Garam Masala Powder; ½ tsp Fennel Powder; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped; 2 tbsp Mint Leaves, Finely Chopped; 2½ cup Water

30 min
medium
Serves 6
100% liked
81 people cooked this

Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min

Start cooking

8 steps, each one filmed. A short video for every step, so your hands never have to leave the pan.

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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

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

Good for: Party, Rainy Day

Ingredients

23 items

6 people

Tomato, Roughly Chopped¾ cup
Poppy Seeds1 tbsp
Cashew (full)5
Coconut (Grated), Grated1 cup
Oil4 tbsp
Star Anise2
Cloves4
Green Cardamom3
Cinnamon1 inch
Fennel Seeds½ tsp
Onion, Slices1 cup
Green Chilli, Slit2
Curry leaves20
Ginger Garlic Paste1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder¼ tsp
Red Chilli Powder1 tsp
Coriander Powder1½ tsp
Garam Masala Powder½ tsp
Fennel Powder½ tsp
Salt1 tsp
Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped2 tbsp
Mint Leaves, Finely Chopped2 tbsp
Water2½ cup

Contains: cashew or other tree nuts.

Nutrition

Per 1 person, and for all 6 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.

Nutrient	Per 1 person	All 6 people
Energy	197kcal	1182kcal
Protein	2.1g	13g
Carbohydrate	10g	60g
Fat	17g	104g
Fibre	4g	24g
Sugar	2.7g	16g

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.
Poppy SeedsCashew (full)Coconut (Grated)
3
In a pan, heat oil and add star anise, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and fennel seeds.
OilStar AniseClovesGreen CardamomCinnamonFennel 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.
Coriander LeavesMint 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, 2 Star Anise, 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 197 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.

Tips from other cooks

Read every tip →

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 👏
C
A Cookd cookOctober 2026
It was so tasty 🤤🤤
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