Potato and Bell Pepper Stir Fry

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Potato and Bell pepper stir fry is another easy recipe that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes from scratch and gets emptied in minutes:) It must be the simplest veg dish that I make.This absolutely delicious stir fry pairs well with hot rotis/Chapathi or you can serve it as a side dish with rice and dal. Other veggies like beans, Carrot or cauliflower can also be added to it.. Read on for the recipe

Ingredients:

Potato : 2

Onion: 2 

Capsicum/bell pepper : 2

Garlic: 5-6 cloves

Oil: 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Red chilli powder: 2 tsp

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves for garnish 

Method: 

1. Scrub, peel and cut potato into wedges. Cut capsicum into long strips, chop onion into cubes and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan and add cumin seeds, sauté for 30 seconds. 

3. Add chopped garlic and onion and sauté until onion turns translucent.

4. Add potato wedges and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Do not add any water.

5. Potato will start browning on the edges then add capsicum and sauté for 2 minutes.

6. Mix in salt, red chilli powder and turmeric give a quick stir so that everything is combined well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes on high flame and turn off the gas.

7. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve delicious stir fried veggies with roti/chapathi.

Notes:
1. Do not over cook the capsicum which will make it soggy. I prefer to keep it slightly crunchier retaining all its flavors.
2. You can add other masalas like coriander powder and garam masala if you like more masala flavors.

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Potato and Paneer Stuffed Grilled Capsicum | Grilled Peppers

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When I started the blog in August I was over excited and trying to post everything that I was cooking (almost!). I quite enjoyed checking the comments, views and FB page views etc for about 3 months. Then my initial enthusiasm started fading away, often I started cooking thinking of posting the recipe and halfway I felt bored to click pictures and do plating and I said forget it, will post it next time. I got so busy with my office work and  my hyper active toddler that there came a point when I started wondering is this all? Have I lost interest in blogging so soon?

I kept thinking how to bring back that energy and passion. Then a friend of mine called me to say she is following my blog regularly and she likes the simple ingredients and explanation. I was really happy and the table had turned, I felt charged up and headed straight to the kitchen to find these beautiful, colorful capsicum/bell peppers sitting in the corner of the fridge. They looked so inviting that I decided to try a new recipe. Here is the super delicious potato and paneer stuffed grilled capsicum recipe. It's kind of a paneer burji with some variation that I used as stuffing. After I finished making them I still had energy to make a gravy to go along with it so I guess I am quite motivated now :-) So let's check the list of ingredients (quite a lengthy list but easy to find:)

Cleaned Capsicum Cups

Ingredients:

For Grilled Capsicum
Medium size capsicum/bell peppers : 4
Finely chopped medium onions :2
Finely chopped Ginger: 1 tbsp
Finely chopped Garlic: 1 tbsp
Boiled, peeled and mashed Potato : 1
Grated Paneer/Cottage Cheese : 1.5 cups
Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds: 1/4 tsp
Sesame Seeds: 1 tbsp
Red Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder : 1 tbsp
Cumin powder: 1/2 tbsp
Garam masala : 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice : 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and dry capsicum, Cut them into half vertically and remove seeds and pith. (See the pic)
2. Heat oil in a Pan and add mustard, cumin and fennel seeds and fry until they splutter. Mix in sesame seeds and stir.
3. Add Finely chopped ginger and garlic and saute until the raw smell disappears.
4. Add finely chopped onions and fry until they turn translucent.
5. Mix in turmeric powder, red chilli powder, Coriander powder, Cumin powder and garam masala and give a quick stir.
6. Add mashed potato and grated paneer, add salt to taste and combine everything well.
7. Add lemon juice and mix in coriander leaves and turn of the flame.
8. Let it cool down a bit, then start filling the mixture into the capsicum cups.
9. Apply a little oil on the stuffed capsicums and grill them at 180 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until you see wrinkles on capsicum.

Ready to go in the oven

Grilled Capsicum

You can skip some ingredients or add some of your own like peanut powder, shredded coconut etc. Also you can top it with grated cheese before grilling if you plan to serve them as starters. I made a simple onion tomato gravy with fresh cream to go with chapathi.

For Creamy Gravy:
Finely chopped Onion : 2
Pureed tomato : 2
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Slit Green Chillies : 2
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala : 1/4 tsp
Raisins: 1 tbsp (optional)
Broken Cashew: 1 tbsp (optional)
Fresh Cream : 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method: 
1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, when they splutter add chopped onions and fry until they turn golden brown in color.
2. Add Ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell disappears. Add in raisins and broken cashews and mix well.
3. Mix in tomato Puree, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, Coriander powder and garam masala and fry until oil separates.
4. Add 1/2 cup water and bring it to boil, add slit green chillies and boil for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add fresh cream and bring to boil. Turn off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
6. Drop in grilled capsicum into the gravy before serving with any Indian flat bread.

Ready to serve - Grilled Capsicums in Creamy Gravy

Notes:
1. You can grill the stuffed capsicum on stove top also by arranging them in a single layer in thick bottomed pan and shallow fry them for 8-10 minutes. Keep stirring them in between to avoid burning.
2. The other option is to cook them in microwave. Cook until you see the wrinkles on capsicum.

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Coconut Stuffed Capcisum | Bellpeppers stuffed with coconut mixture

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Stuffed Capsicum or Bharwan Shimla Mirch as called in North India is an interesting dish. You can use pretty much anything as filling from Paneer (cottage cheese), potato to onion masala. I have tried to replicate my mother's way of making it with spicy coconut filling. She uses small spicy variety of capsicum. It tastes heavenly with Chapathi or Jawar roti. It's very difficult to find them in Singapore so I have used the regular capsicum, I tried hard to pick the smaller ones :-) You can make it with any color or size of capsicum.

Ingredients:

Small capsicum/bell peppers: 4

Onion: 2

Garlic: 4-5 cloves

Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup

Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Dry mango powder: 1/2 tsp

Sugar : 1/2 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil: 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and dry the bell peppers and carefully remove the seeds and pith and empty the peppers.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep pan and sauté the bell peppers until the skin withers and peppers turn soft for 3-4 minutes. Keep turning the peppers.

3. Remove the peppers and add another tbsp of oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Sauté for 30 seconds.

4. Add finely chopped garlic and onion and sauté until onions turn translucent.

5. Mix in grated fresh coconut and sesame seeds and sauté until it turns golden brown in color.

6. Next add in all spice powders - red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, dry mango powder, garam masala powder and stir well.

7. Mix in salt and freshly chopped coriander leaves and let it cool for a minute.

8. Fill this mixture into the peppers and arrange them in a microwave/oven safe dish and cook them in microwave for 3-5 minutes on high or grill in oven for 10 minutes 

9. Alternatively you can saute them in a nonstick pan and cook on all sides for 7-8 minutes.

10. Serve hot with chapathi or any Indian flat breads. It also be served as a side dish.

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