Bell pepper or capsicum is one of my favorite vegetables. I love the taste, flavor and color of these beautiful vegetables. I also love that it is so versatile and can be combined with so many different vegetables in various curries and dishes and it adds such a wonderful flavor and texture to these dishes. It is no wonder then, that capsicum masala is one of my favorite curries. With capsicum being the star ingredient in this curry and a very unique gravy , this curry has a very distinctive taste. It is also very quick and easy to make and pairs perfectly with plain steamed rice or phulkas/ chapathis/ naans/ kulchas.
Before I go on to the recipe, a quick update. I have been updating pictures on a lot of my older posts. If you would like to take a quick peek, here are a few of them that have updated pictures....
Asparagus in coconut lentil curry ~ Kootu
Gujarati Kadhi ~ Seasoned buttermilk soup/curry
Aloo Paratha ~ Indian flat bread stuffed with spiced potatoes ~ With stepwise pictures
Click here for a printable view of this recipe
Ingredients and Method to make Capsicum Masala
3 large or 4 medium bell pepper cut into 3/4 inch cubes (capsicum/ simla mirch/capsicum) (yielded 4 cups of pieces) (see notes)
1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp oil (I use coconut or peanut, but any flavorless oil is fine too)
1 medium sized red onion (pyaaz/vengayam) cut into small pieces
1 medium tomato cut fine (tamatar/thakkali)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)
1/4 tsp minced ginger (adrak/ inji)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (mirch/ molaga podi) (or to taste)
salt to taste (namak/ uppu)
For the masala (dry roast each separately and grind to paste)
1/4 cup raw peanuts (mung phali/ nila kadalai)
1 Tbsp coriander seeds (dhania)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (til/ ellu)
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut (or frozen thawed to room temperature)
Dry roast each of the items for the masala separately and keep aside. After it cools, grind together to a smooth paste with a little water. Keep this masala aside.
Prep the vegetables. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and saute the bell pepper pieces until it is tender crisp, that is cooked yet not too soft. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, heat another 1 Tbsp of oil. Add cumin, when the cumin sizzles add onions and stir until it is transparent, then add minced ginger, stir a few times. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add turmeric powder and stir once or twice.
Add sauteed bell pepper/ capsicum pieces, salt to taste, chili powder, ground paste and 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of water. Simmer until the flavors mingle.
Remove from heat and serve hot with plain steamed rice or phulkas/ chapathis or naans/ kulchas
Notes:
I usually use either 1 each of red, yellow and orange bell pepper or green and red bell pepper. Any combination of bell pepper works fine in this curry, so whatever you find/have on hand can be used in this curry.
Before I go on to the recipe, a quick update. I have been updating pictures on a lot of my older posts. If you would like to take a quick peek, here are a few of them that have updated pictures....
Asparagus in coconut lentil curry ~ Kootu
Gujarati Kadhi ~ Seasoned buttermilk soup/curry
Aloo Paratha ~ Indian flat bread stuffed with spiced potatoes ~ With stepwise pictures
Click here for a printable view of this recipe
Ingredients and Method to make Capsicum Masala
3 large or 4 medium bell pepper cut into 3/4 inch cubes (capsicum/ simla mirch/capsicum) (yielded 4 cups of pieces) (see notes)
1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp oil (I use coconut or peanut, but any flavorless oil is fine too)
1 medium sized red onion (pyaaz/vengayam) cut into small pieces
1 medium tomato cut fine (tamatar/thakkali)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)
1/4 tsp minced ginger (adrak/ inji)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (mirch/ molaga podi) (or to taste)
salt to taste (namak/ uppu)
For the masala (dry roast each separately and grind to paste)
1/4 cup raw peanuts (mung phali/ nila kadalai)
1 Tbsp coriander seeds (dhania)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (til/ ellu)
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut (or frozen thawed to room temperature)
Dry roast each of the items for the masala separately and keep aside. After it cools, grind together to a smooth paste with a little water. Keep this masala aside.
Prep the vegetables. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large heavy bottomed pan and saute the bell pepper pieces until it is tender crisp, that is cooked yet not too soft. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, heat another 1 Tbsp of oil. Add cumin, when the cumin sizzles add onions and stir until it is transparent, then add minced ginger, stir a few times. Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Add turmeric powder and stir once or twice.
Add sauteed bell pepper/ capsicum pieces, salt to taste, chili powder, ground paste and 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of water. Simmer until the flavors mingle.
Remove from heat and serve hot with plain steamed rice or phulkas/ chapathis or naans/ kulchas
Notes:
I usually use either 1 each of red, yellow and orange bell pepper or green and red bell pepper. Any combination of bell pepper works fine in this curry, so whatever you find/have on hand can be used in this curry.
