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June 26, 2007

Capsicum Curry



On some days, I don't plan at all. On others, I plan and plan no end (and end up leaving the lunch box at home!) This dish, however, is the result of no planning at all. Amchi cuisine has a capsicum dish called Kayaras and that is what I wanted to make one morning when I had loads of capsicum in the fridge. But I was too lazy to pick up the Rasachandrika from the shelf and refer to it. At times like these, I remember what Amma always says, "When nice ingredients go into a dish and the intentions are good and loving, it can never taste bad." The first time I heard this was when I tried to make chikki. The recipe called for caramelized sugar instead of the jaggery syrup that is usually made and my chikki didn't turn out like anything I'd expected. I was about 10 at the time.

Now, I have a reasonably decent sense of combinations: what goes well with what... what flavours ingredients will impart to a dish. And this helps me experiment. So, I went beyond aloo capsicum and paneer/soya capsicum to create this dish.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo Green Capsicum, chopped
1 Onion, sliced
2 tbsp Peanuts
1 tsp Sesame seeds
2 tsp Oil
2 Red Chillies
1 tsp Tamarind Paste
1 tbsp Coconut
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
Salt to Taste

In a small kadhai, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add the sesame seeds, coconut, chillies, and peanuts and roast for a few minutes. Transfer this to a mixer jar and grind it to a paste along with a little salt and the tamarind paste.

In a larger kadhai, heat the other teaspoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds splutter, add the onions and fry for a minute or so. Add the paste and fry for another minute. Add the chopped capsicum, a little water and some salt if needed. Cover and cook until the capsicum is done. I like my capsicum crunchy and don't cook it for too long.



I packed this along with rotis for lunch and I found that it actually tasted nice. My colleagues told me it would be very heavy because of the sesame, peanuts and coconut. I didn't find it too heavy, but it wasn't the lightest dish I'd made or anything.

10 comments:

Seema Bhat said...

Raaga, loved the base of this capsicum curry. Coconut and groundnut together sounds very delicious. Thanx for the recipe.

Lata said...

I posted similar dish on my site couple of days. We make this little watery.

Anonymous said...

With all those spices and flavors in there, this just has to be good!

:)

thanks for the tag! :)

DEEPA said...

i have never used sesame seeds and peanuts together in a curry ....Will surely try ..Something different

Roopa said...

i love this curry we make the same masala but a dry base fry. delicious one.

Raaga said...

@Seema: Welcome back!!

@Lata: Unable to stay on your page for longer than 30 seconds. Some technical problem. Welcome to my blog :-)

@Trupti: Anytime anytime. And sometimes dishes like these satisfy those spice cravings :-)

@Deepa:I'd not heard of gulab jamun cake either... and I will try that too!!!

@Roopa: I should try that too. Our rotis are soft but dry(no oil in dough, no oil while toasting), so I make the side dish slightly liquidy :-)

ushaprashanth said...

Hi!
This curry looks lovely.. I will just add some capsicum in sambar,fried rice etc ..but capsicum as a main ingredient think it will taste delicious with all these spices..

Raaga said...

@Usha: Happens to all of us. I will soon post a recipe for capsicum rice which has become a staple in my house. Earlier, it was added with other things and never made into a dish by itself!

Nupur said...

Your Amma's words are so sweet and so wise! What a nice way to graciously acknowledge the efforts of a budding cook.

Raaga said...

@Nupur: I owe almost 95% of my interest and ability to cook to her :-) For years, she even patiently cleaned after me... especially when I'd first started baking at the age of 10.