I went grocery shopping the other day and saw these small sized bell peppers unlike the usual giant sized ones. And I got the entire bag for just a dollar. I had to pick them up. The the very first thing I thought of was to make stuffed curry. I like to make the stuffed curry with the small ones. You can of course make them with the big ones as well, but you may want to cut them in half and then stuff.
Ingredients:
- Green Bell Peppers/ Capsicum - 4 medium
- Potatoes - 4 medium
- Cooking oil - 4 tbsps
- Cumin Seeds- 3/4 tsp
- Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1tsp
- Onion, finely chopped - 1 large
- Red Chili Powder - to taste
- Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
- Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Garam Masala- 1/2 tsp
- Amchoor (raw mango powder) - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
- Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp
Directions:
For the Potato Filling:
- Wash the potatoes, boil till soft . Peel and mash roughly. Keep aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil and splutter cumin seeds. Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and saute. Add chopped onions and fry till translucent.
- Now add all the powdered spices along with salt , mix well.
- Add the mashed potatoes and mix well to blend with all the masala. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Adjust salt and turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mix well . Keep this mixture aside for filling the bell peppers later.
For making the Bharwaan Simla Mirch:
Stove Top Method:
- Wash the bell peppers and pat them dry.
- Cut the top off about 1 inch ( near the stalk ) . Remove all the seeds and the pith.
- Fill each green pepper with the potato filling we prepared and kept aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in a pan and arrange the filled peppers standing upright. Let them cook for about 3 minutes on low-med heat.
- Try to carefully turn the peppers to the sides . Cook for 2 minutes and then turn to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes. Cook till all the peppers are tender and cooked from all the sides.
Oven Method:
- Prepare the filling and stuff the bell peppers in the same way as mentioned above.
- We shall bake them instead of shallow frying.
- Grease the baking sheet/ tray with spray oil. Also brush the stuffed bell peppers slightly with oil all over. Arrange them on the baking sheet / tray around 2 inches apart from each other.
- Preheat oven to 450°F and bake for 30-40 minutes. Keep checking in between if it is done. The time may vary depending on the size and quantity of the bell peppers. You might want to do the fork test to make sure it is cooked well. The fork or tooth prick should pass through without much effort.
You can eat this curry at this point as well, as a dry curry. However if you like gravy. Here's what you're gonna need:
Ingredients for gravy :
Ingredients for gravy :
- Onion - 1 large
- Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
- Cashew Nuts - 1/2 cup
- Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
- Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
- Red Chili Powder - to taste
- Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
- Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
- Dry mango Powder ( Amchoor ) - 1/2 tsp
- Jaggery / Sugar - 1/2 tsp ( optoinal )
- Oil - 1 tbsp
- Water - 2 cups
- Salt - to taste
- Chopped Cilantro - for garnishing
Directions:
- Grind the cashew nuts with minimum water required and keep the paste aside.
- Heat oil in a pan, and saute very finely chopped onions for about 2 minutes.
- Add ginger garlic paste and saute. Cook till the onions and ginger garlic are cooked and the raw flavor vanishes.
- Add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and mix well.
- Add water and bring the gravy to boil and then reduce the heat.
- Add the cashew nut paste, amchoor, salt, jaggery, mix well and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Adjust water according to desired consistency.
Serving:
- In the serving plate, spread a bed of this thick gravy and arrange the stuffed capsicums over it.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve this delectable side dish with chapati or naan.
Superb illustration
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