Taste Memory: Dhaas Shimla Mirch

Dhaas Shimla Mirch

The smell and taste of things
remain poised in memories
for almost eternity. Why is that?
Or am I alone in memories?

Like the butterscotch pudding
I tried to cook, as a child
I burnt it and even today
when I try to eat anything
with that flavor, it taste burnt.
Will that taste ever go away?
- By Robritt

Sometimes I breathe in the scents of foods, and I remember - places, times, people, adventures. In many cases the taste or smell of a sweet, coffee, gravy or an entire meal is capable of painting a picture with richer, deeper brush strokes than any snapshot in the photo album. While I struggle to remember my mobile phone number or grapple helplessly to recall my closest of friends' names when I need to mail them or introduce them to someone, the merest sniff of brewing coffee is enough to flood back memories of two decades ago, from my Ajji’s kitchen with frightening clarity. Give me that same coffee in a small steel tumbler and I can recall the dark room where I sipped that coffee with my sister hiding under the cot as we kids were forbidden from drinking strong coffee, the colour of bangles on my Amma’s hand when she pulled us out with a half filled coffee glass in my hand and a fake anger on her face:) Such details more glowing than the coffee I had just one hour back!!!

Food has also become a central way for me to socialise with others, to comfort my friends and family and even sometimes few strangers as food sure brings enormous pleasure and joy when shared with others. It has made me feel comfortable in new places, even some unknown places. And most importantly food had made me to remember the places I’ve lived and the people I’ve known in those places.

One such food memory is something I loved when I lived in Bangalore. I lived in a hostel owned by a Sindhi couple and V aunty was a wonderful cook and baker. Her delicious Sindhi style Stuffed Capsicums/Peppers is something I missed dearly after I left Bangalore. It was not usual stuffed capsicum with potato filling or rice but it used grated onions lightly spiced with fresh green chillies and coriander. I had been looking for this Dhaas Shimla Mirch recipe since long time and at last I found it in Alka’s Sindhi Rasoi. One look at the photo and the list of ingredients and I knew I just hit the jackpot. I could hardly contain my excitement and straight away went into kitchen to try it right away. Although V aunty and Alka had used Green Bell Peppers I cooked with Mini/Baby Orange Bell Peppers I bought from Farmer’s Market which I knew would be sweeter than the green ones. With few modifications to Alka’s recipe, this platter of golden beauties was ready in few minutes. Dont be fooled by the short ingredient list and simplicity of these ingredients. The recipe is surprisingly simple and the end result is simply superb. It was bit sweet with a touch of spiciness from green chillies and tanginess from dry mango powder and it was everything I remembered. Thank you Alka. It’s because of your recipe I am finally over with my obsession of finding this recipe and this recipe has become our family favourite. I will be making them soon with multi-coloured Baby Peppers and next time I might bake them and then grill instead of cooking on stove top to make it zero-oil cooking. This is my entry for Kayln's Weekend Herb Blogging event guest hosted by Astrid.

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Dhaas Shimla Mirch (Sindhi style Bell Peppers/Capsicums stuffed with Onion and Ground Spices)

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 2-3
Recipe Source: Sindhi Rasoi

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Ingredients:
6 Baby/Mini Bell Peppers or 4 medium Bell Peppers (any colour is fine, I used orange coloured)
1 tbsp Oil

For Filling/Stuffing:
2 large Onions, grated (grated onion works best than chopped one)
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Garam Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
½-1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
½ cup or small handful of Coriander Leaves
2-3 Green Chillies (Adjust acc to taste)
2-3 cloves of Garlic
½ inch Ginger (Optional)
Salt to taste

Baby Bell Peppers & Ground Filling

Method:

Slit baby peppers on one side and remove its seeds and pith carefully without breaking it. If using large peppers, then slice off their top and remove its seeds and pith carefully.
Grind coriander leaves, green chillies, garlic and ginger roughly without adding any water. Mix this ground paste with grated onion, all spice powders listed and salt to taste.
Stuff this onion mixture into bell peppers carefully. Make sure that you don’t break bell peppers while stuffing by stuffing little filling at time.
Heat oil in a deep pan. Carefully arrange bell peppers in a pan. Cover the lid and cook on a low to medium flame.
Toss the bell peppers at regular intervals to make sure that they don’t burn and stick to the pan. Make sure that the bell peppers are cooked from all the side. On a whole, it took me around 15 minutes to cook these bell peppers on a very low to medium flame.
Serve this delicious Dhaas Shimla Mirch with Chapatti or Rice and enjoy.

Dhaas Shimla Mirch

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Note:

Next time I might sauté the filling for few minutes and then stuff the bell peppers and bake them in an oven for 5 minutes so that the bell peppers remain crunchy. And then grill these baked peppers for about 3 minutes to get smoky taste.

Other Stuffed Vegetables posted so far

• Badane Ennegayi/Stuffed Baby Eggplants
• Stuffed Chillies
• Crispy Stuffed Mushroom Cups
• Stuffed Tomatoes in Yogurt Gravy
• Stuffed Baingan
• Stuffed Okra/Bhindi

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Reminder (Just 11 more days to go):

MBP-Street Food ends on 24th of June, 2008. Start patrolling the blogs and cook your favourite Street Food that your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love.

Deadline: 24th June, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

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Blast from the Past: Bell Pepper Soups

A soup has always been one of my favourite meals and my weakness. It being a typical weather where sunny uncle playing hide and seek in my part of the world, we get solace in slurping big bowls of delicious soups. This week it was all Peppers pepping us up in a form of Red Bell Pepper Soup and Creamy Green Pepper Soup. And they go to my dear buddy Pooja who is hosting two-in-one events JFI & VOV-Bell Peppers. Enjoy these blasts from the past.

Red Bell Pepper Soup

Creamy Green Pepper Soup

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Soup for the Soul: Pak Choy – Noodles Soup

Pak Choi - Noodles Soup

Where else could you catch a massive cold, if not in wet and cold Britain? I was surprised to see how I survived from Jan to mid Feb from the clutches of cold and flu when colleagues in my office were walking around with a tissue stuck to their nostrils!! Just when it seemed like we are going to celebrate early springs with daffodils smiling at clear blue skies, the temperature plunged to -10 degree celcious. Ha!!! Serves me right for planning my early spring shopping. Once I stocked up enough of cold remedies and boxes of Kleenex, I tried to research the latest findings on how best to tackle the illness that is still eluding the pharmaceutical industry. Well, what else I could have expected. As usual the results were not very encouraging. It seems there is actually no remedy for cold and one wise (wo)man even mentioned "Medicate a cold and it will be gone in 14 days; ignore it and it will be gone in two weeks." So if the cold usually lasts for two weeks then there is not conclusive proof that popping Vitamin C or zinc supplements is gonna work for you. These supplements might simply mask the cold but they don’t actually cure you.

With my nose looking like that of a buffoon’s, blood shot eyes watering continuously due to my coughing night concert, and tissue dangling from my nostrils I usually rely on some tried and tested recipes like pepper rasam, kashayam or bowl of piping hot soup. After all, there is nothing more comforting than boiling few tomatoes with little spices and a good pinch of salt or boiling a glass of water with tulsi (holy basil) with few crushed peppercorns and honey/jaggary. Well, it’s also all you likely to feel up to if you have a really nasty cold. But if it’s your hubby dear who is cooking for the poor you, then you as well give yourself a special treat;)

We created this Pak Choi-Noodles Soup using the ingredients which is sure to comfort me and clear the congestion. Who says creativity can't kick in when your nose is blocked? It's just your nose that is blocked not brain;). This sunshine coloured soup doesn’t require any fancy ingredients or too much of time and energy to prepare. The ingredients used are lemon grass stalk, ginger, black pepper corns and garlic which is a natural remedy for cold and a splash of soya sauce and lemon juice for tingling taste. Addition of noodles, pak choi, and red bell peppers make this filling as well as very comforting meal. I am sending this bowl of Sunshine to Lisa who is hosting No Croutons Required event and she wants us to make a soup that even the most carnivorous diner would drool over. Thank you Pooja for the tip:)

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Pak Choi – Noodles Soup
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 2

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Ingredients:
4-5 cups Vegetable Stock
1-2 Pak Choy/Pak Choi, cut into bite size pieces
Handful of Noodles (I used medium noodles)
1 small Red Bell Pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1 small Onion, finely chopped (Optional)
4-5 stalks of Spring Onion, sliced
1 inch Ginger, crushed
2-3 Garlic flakes, sliced thinly
¾ tsp Lemongrass Paste/1 stalk of Lemon Grass, outer skin removed and bruised
Few Black Pepper corns, crushed
1-2 Green Chillies, slit (Optional)
¾ tbsp Soya Sauce
1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Sambal Olek (Optional)
Few Basil, roughly chopped
1 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Pak Choi - Noodles Soup

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion and sliced garlic. Sauté it on medium flame till onions turns translucent.
Pour in vegetable stock and add bruised lemon grass stalk, sambal olek, slit green chillies and crushed ginger. Bring it to gentle boil.
Mix in noodles, red bell pepper, crushed peppercorns, soya sauce and salt to taste. Cook on a medium heat till noodles are cooked.
Add pak choi, spring onion and cook for another minute or two.
Switch off the flame and discard the lemongrass stalk and crushed ginger. Mix in lemon juice and basil and serve hot.

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Update:

With my nose and brain blocked, I kind of forgot to thank Sig for sending me this cute You Make Me Smile Award. Thank you sweetie for this award (You can send me the confession mail stating whether I really make you smile. I cross my heart and promise not disclose the contents of your mail). Well, it really means a lot to me when somebody says I make them smile and I take it as a great compliment. And the big surprise (read shock;) was there are some people who really read my l-o-n-g posts filled with everything under the sun. Boy!!! You guys really have patience ;) So thank you for reading my rants and continue to knock on my door in spite of driving you all mad with my non stop talking. Now to keep my reputation I think I need to post some jokes instead of my monologues dialogues to make you all smile! And I am passing this award to all you people who make me smile with your wonderful comments, suggestions and feedbacks. So spread the smile around because that’s what the world really needs.

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Tomato Saaru & Pepper-Carrot Palya

Our Comfort Food: Rasam Rice, Papads, Pepper-Carrot Palya and Salad

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."
-Norman Kolpas

Our senses hold some of our most potent memories. Touching the silk or smelling herbal soap, aroma of ground coffee brewing in coffee maker or sizzling of curry leaves in oil sends me back in time to my Ajji’s kitchen. There is a delicious Rasam bubbling in a large copper pot over an open fire-wood heated stove in one corner; one helper is pounding red chillies and spices in other corner while my aunt is grinding freshly grated coconut with chillies for chutney in a stone grinder. There is a small stream of water flowing close to the kitchen, with just the right breeze causing a mist to drift across my face, tickling my nose. I am sitting cross legged on red oxide floor with my sister and cousins wondering where to have our picnic lunch, that day’s most important question. The sight, smell and taste of what my granny cooked are fresh and vivid memories which I will always carry with me.

While cooking everyday meals, I find myself musing lately over comfort foods. If I were to ask you what food you associate with feeling good, what would be your answer? I know that your answer is probably different from what I consider to be my comfort food, mainly because of our individual life experiences, backgrounds and cultures. Comfort food satisfies our soul as well as the stomach and that’s why we love it so much. Often these dishes remind us of our childhood, happy memories. Cooking up that dish our Granny or Mom or Aunt used to make is as soothing as eating it because it reminds us of a time when life was simpler. My Amma would always say that the reason why comfort food always tastes best is because it is shared with our loving family and friends with no frills, just with love. The kitchen filled with the aroma and scent of food that brings back warm and fond memories is what makes it more comforting and as these recollections takes place around the table with our loved one, yet another fond and loving memory is born.

Like most people, I don’t have just one memory associated with just one food. I have good number of favourite foods which fall under comfort food zone. These recipes are simple with minimal ingredients used and are unpretentious. But these are the food which oozes with flavours and make me feel good when preparing and eating them. One such dish is simple tangy Tomato Saaru with Pepper-Carrot Palya. They are simple culinary delights I crave, just for comfort...

After many unsuccessful attempts at making simple Tomato Saaru which I wanted to taste just like the one my Amma and Ajji makes my hubby surprised me with his Rasam. It tasted as good as the one I remembered eating when growing up-same flavour, same aroma, same colour and same taste. Although he used the similar ingredients which most of us use when making Rasam it tasted different from what I cook. I immediately wrote down his recipe and tried it next time using same measures and ingredients and following his method. Darn!!! There was still something missing, may be it’s to do with the taste which goes into ingredients when he touches them. Since then it’s Krish who makes Rasam for me, the one which is comfort food for me and takes me down the memory lane.

Tangy Tomato Saaru

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Tomato Rasam
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-25 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
3-4 large ripe & juicy Tomatoes, thinly sliced or chopped
¾ cup Toor Dal, picked and washed
1 tbsp Rasam Powder
1 large marble sized Tamarind Pulp/½ tbsp Tamarind Puree
2 Green Chillies, slit
½-1 medium Onion, thinly sliced or roughly chopped
½ inch Ginger, crushed
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Black Pepper, lightly crushed using pestle and mortar
½-1 tbsp Jaggery
2-3 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Black Peppers
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1-2 Dry Red Chilli, broken
Few Curry Leaves
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
½ tbsp Oil/Ghee

Rasam Rice with Papads

Method:

Cook toor dal with 2 cups of water, turmeric and a tsp of oil in pressure cooker for about 15-20 minutes till they are nicely cooked.
Release the pressure from pressure cooker before you open the lid and roughly mash the cooked dal with ladle or potato masher.
Soak tamarind pulp in half a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes and squeeze the pulp to release its juice. Discard the pulp once used.
Transfer cooked dal into heavy bottomed pan and add sliced onions, slit green chillies, crushed ginger and about 2-3 cups of water and boil it for about 5 minutes in medium flame.
Add sliced tomatoes, tamarind extract, rasam powder, jaggery, crushed black peppers and salt to taste and simmer the heat and cook for another 20-30 minutes on medium to low flame.
Add more water if you feel the rasam is thick. When rasam is reduced to ¾th of its quantity, mix in chopped coriander leaves.
For tempering, first crush cumin seeds and black pepper in a mortar and pestle. Also roughly crush garlic cloves and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, broken red chillis, crushed cumin-pepper-garlic, hing and curry leaves in that order and when mustard starts to pop and splutter transfer the tadka to rasam and mix well. Let the Rasam simmer for another 5 minutes for all the flavours to blend well.
Serve hot rasam with steamed rice and papad or serve in a bowl as a soup.

Rasam Rice, Papads, Pepper-Carrot Palya and Salad: Our Simple Meal

There is nothing better than a simple vegetable stir fry and Pepper-Carrot Palya which my mom made is something I would happily eat as a salad with Yogurt or as a side dish with Rasam Rice. The beauty of this dish is its simplicity with minimal preparation and cooking time. Stir fried green pepper and grated carrot is spiced up with simple seasoning and a splash of lime juice makes it comfort food for me.

Pepper-Carrot Palya

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Pepper-Carrot Palya
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients:
2 cups Grated Carrot
1 large Green Pepper/Capsicum, cut into 1 cm squares
1 Green Chilli, sliced (Optional)
1-2 tbsp Lemon Juice
½ tsp Jaggery/Sugar
A pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp Coriander, finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken
A Spring of Curry Leaves
1 tsp Oil
A pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

Pepper-Carrot Palya

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal, broken red chilli, mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves in that order.
When urad dal turns golden yellow and mustard starts to pop and splutter, add chopped capsicum pieces, slit green chilli and sauté over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes till its skin starts to wilt.
Now add turmeric powder, jaggery, grated carrots and salt to taste and sauté them for about 1 minute till the heat is equally spread. Make sure that you don’t over cook pepper and carrots and they should retain their colour and crunch.
Turn of the gas and mix in lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Rasam Rice or eat it with yogurt the way I prefer.

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Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum Soup

Yeah, yeah… It’s still soupy soup season for us here. Unlike other parts of the world where everyone is basking in golden sun and sand, we, not so privileged ones are snuggling under cosy blanket with a bowl of hot soup and dreaming of all that glorious sunshine. I just have to close my eyes to feel that cool breeze from palm-fringed beaches and lush green fields in my native. We are almost there… Right now while writing this post I can see the sun peeping out of the clouds and smiling. Oh!!! When will he grow up and stop playing that silly peek-a-boo. May be he did hear me grumbling about the same thing again and again. It’s strange as how the weather can be so deceptive. We had early spring in this part of the world and according to the weather forecast (here they come) we are on the way to one of the hottest summers in the history and I am waiting for the day when I can start grumbling about hot and sweaty summer days. Oh!!! Let me stop sulking and come back to my favourite subject.

Here is the recipe of Green Pepper Soup which I found in one of my cook books by an anonymous author. I tweaked it to suite my taste and preference, as I usually do most of the times, to create a filling, good tasting bowl of soup. Although it’s little fattening with that cream I sneaked into it, you can always lighten it my using milk in place of cream and modify it to suit your needs. The peppery taste of green capsicum is mellowed with cream which gives it extra richness and taste. Serve this hot bowl of soup with some bread and boiled vegetables tossed in your favourite herb/spice mix. The recipe below makes 3-4 servings of soup.

Green Bell Pepper Soup

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Green Bell Pepper Soup
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:

3 Green Peppers/Capsicum, finely chopped
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
¾ tbsp Maida/All purpose flour
4-5 cups Vegetable Broth (or use 2-3 cubes of Veg Stock)
½ cup Fresh Cream(adjust as per taste)
1 tbsp Lime/Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Butter/Oil
1tsp Dry Mixed Herbs
Black Pepper & Salt to taste

Green Bell Pepper Soup

Method:
Heat butter/oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic and onions. Sauté it at medium flame till onion turns translucent.
Now add chopped green peppers and sauté them continuously for about 5-6 minutes till the pepper become soft and skin starts to wilt.
Mix the Maida and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of Maida is gone.
Next add about 2 cups of vegetable broth and bring it to boil. Remove the pan from flame and let it completely cool down a bit.
Transfer the contents to a food processor and puree the mixture to smooth consistency without adding any more of water.
Transfer this puree back to the pan and add vegetable broth, dry mixed herbs and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Simmer and cook uncovered till the bubbles are formed at the surface, stirring in between.
When the bubbles are formed, mix the fresh cream, lime/lemon juice and adjust the seasoning per taste. Cook this for further 4-5 minutes in medium flame.
Garnish with microwaved pepper rings and serve with boiled vegetables and roasted new potatoes and bread of your choice.

Green Bell Pepper Soup

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Did You Know?
The bell pepper is low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium and high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid and Magnesium.
Green, sweet bell peppers have 2 times as much vitamin C as oranges; red and yellow bell peppers have 4 times as much.
The nutritional value and health benefit of bell pepper makes it ideal for maintaining optimum health and weight loss. So don’t include too much bell pepper in your diet if you are interested in weight gain.
(Source: www.great-workout.com)

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Green Bell Pepper Soup

PS: Have you noticed a new Foodie Blogroll created by lovely Jenn of Leftover Queen which is for people who have a passion for food? Click here for more information about Foodie Blogroll and join the ever growing community of all the Foodies around the world.

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Red Pepper/Capsicum Soup

Have you heard of a famous quote which goes like “It’s difficult to predict three W’s in life: Wine, Weather and Woman”. I am not sure about first W because I can’t handle any drinks which have above 0.1% of alcohol. I don’t agree with third W because I am one among them. As for the second W is concerned I don’t have any issue because it is something which changes faster than my mood swings especially where I live;)
Last couple of days we were blessed with bright and clear sky which really cheered me despite the fact that I had badly sprained my ankle during our weekend trekking. Just when I started enjoying the warmth and ice cream, the weather changed as if some witch has spread her black magic. I was duped into thinking that the dark and gloomy days are over. I needed something really good to cheer myself and I was not ready to surrender myself to the temptation of munching my favorite Pringles. To distract my mind and eyes I opened a cook book which I had recently acquired from thrift store and voila, I couldn’t take my eyes off from one particular picture. Red Pepper Soup was the exact thing I wanted for brightening up the gloomy day and gloomy mood. All the magic ingredients were there to make bright, hot, spicy and tasty yummylicious pot of soup.

Red Pepper Soup

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Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Prep Time: 20-30 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
4 medium Red Peppers/Capsicums
4 medium Tomatoes
1 medium Red Onion Sliced
½ tsp Dried mixed Herbs
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Curry Paste
½ tsp Red Chilli Paste
4 cups Vegetable Stock/Water
1 tsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper for Taste

Red Pepper Soup

Method:
Cut the red peppers into quarter. Remove the seeds and grill or roast them in an oven until its skin blackens and blisters.
Cool the peppers slightly before peeling its skin.
In a mean while, mark a small cross on top of each tomato and place them in a bowl of boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.
Drain, cool and peel the skin of tomatoes. Cut these tomatoes in half and gently scoop out the seeds using a small spoon.
Heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic and sliced onions and sauté it on low flame for 1-2 minutes.
To this add dried herbs, curry paste, chilli paste, chopped tomatoes, red pepper and vegetable broth and mix well.
Bring to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another 5-6 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool.
Place the soup in small batches in a food processor and process it to make a smooth puree.
Return this puree to a pan and add sweet chilli sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
Reheat the soup before serving with bread croutons.

Red Pepper Soup

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Did You Know?
Red peppers are one of the few foods that contain lycopene, a carotenoid whose consumption has been inversely correlated with prostate cancer and cancers of the cervix, bladder and pancreas.

In general, all peppers are a good source of vitamin A and C; the red ones are bursting with these two antioxidants. Antioxidants are a group of nutrients that neutralize free radicals in the body fluids reducing the risk of disease.

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Red Pepper Soup

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Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole

All this month my good friend Trupti of “The Spice Who Loved Me” is hosting Winter Food Swing where we are invited to cook with our family or friends. I found it very interesting and delightful as my hubby K is a big help in kitchen. For us cooking is not just chopping vegetables and boiling them. It is carefully picking the vegetables, cutting them lovingly (with all due respect for their sacrifice;), cooking them gently and serving them with pride and joy. So everyday cooking is a joint venture for us. First we rummage our fridge to check what’s available. And then we have our brainstorming session for another five minutes or so, arguing which lucky vegetable is going to satisfy our hungry and growling tummy. Once the vegetable is chosen, we discuss (yeah just discuss) on what to cook which takes another few minutes of our time (usually). Once all these are decided, we assign tasks of cutting, grinding, boiling, washing (it’s a long list. Isn’t it?).

Well… Cooking is not just about cooking, is it? I love cooking when my better half is around. He is my food critic, assistant chef, motivator and much more.
So this time I am moving away from all lime lights and leaving my much loved kitchen to my hubby:) He made wonderful Grilled Vegetables with Cream of Tomato Soup and Guacamole. He didn’t ask any help from me and cooked everything from scratch. So this time, all spot lights are on him. So are you ready? Lights, Camera and Action….

Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole

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Grilled Vegetables
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5-10 mins
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients:
½ Courgettes/Zucchini
6-8 Button Mushrooms
½ Red Onions
½ Aubergines
½ Red Peppers
½ Yellow Peppers
½ Green Peppers
Few Olives
Few Cherry Tomatoes
1 tsp Dry Rosemary
2-4 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole

Method:
Cut all the vegetables into bite size pieces.
Soak them in cold water for about 15-30 minutes which will prevent it from drying out when they are grilled.
Take olive oil, rosemary, pepper powder and salt and mix them well.
Pat dry the vegetables and brush them with olive oil mixture.
Thread vegetables onto skewers and grill them on medium heat till they are done.

Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole

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Guacamole
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cooking Time: -
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients
2 Avocados
½ Sweet Pointed Peppers/Red Bell Pepper
1 tbsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste

Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole

Method:
Scoop avocado and mash it properly.
Chop sweet pointed peppers into very small pieces and mix them with mashed avocado.
Add lime juice and salt to taste and serve immediately with grilled vegetables.
If desired, add finely chopped garlic clove to the Guacamole and mix well.

Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole and Cream of Tomato Soup

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Something about Guacamole:
Guacamole is avocado based dip or relish which is basically from Mexico. The basic and main ingredients are avocado and lime juice. There are many recipes of making Guacamole. The ingredients vary based on one’s taste and preference. Guacamole can also include onions, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, coriander leaves and some spices. Click here to learn more about Guacamole.
Isn’t it fun saying Guacamole? Gwock-uh-mo-lay. It is fun… :)

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Grilled Vegetables with Guacamole

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Capsicum in Peanut Masala

Capsicum is my favourite vegetable. I'm not sure what attracts me the most; its colour, taste, smell, shape....Mmmmm... I guess everything about it:) Best thing about capsicum is they taste so good in cooked form as well as raw. My hubby always tease me saying anytime/day/month/year one thing you will always find in our fridge is Mr.Capsicum. And why not? They can make any dull dish look so colourful and cheerful.

Capsicum in Peanut Masala

Here is a simple recipe of Capsicum Curry cooked with Peanut Paste. Its very simple dish and takes hardly anytime to prepare. What more, it looks and at the same time tastes fabulous.

Capsicum in Peanut Masala served with Rice and Tender Mango Pickle

Ingredients:
2 cups Capsicums, cut into small pieces
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Green Chillis, chopped finely
1/2 inch Ginger, crushed
2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped finely
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
Few Curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

To Roast & Grind to smooth paste:
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp Urad Dal
2-3 Red Chillies
1/2 tbsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
1 inch Cinnamon
2 Cloves
2 Cardamoms
3 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
1 tbsp Oil

Capsicum in Peanut Masala

Method:
Roast all the ingredients above in a tbsp of oil in medium heat for 1-2 minutes and grind them to smooth paste adding very little water.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and fry them till they splutter.
To this add curry leaves, crushed ginger, chopped green chillies and fry.
Then add the chopped onions and saute them till transparent.
Add chopped capsicum and salt to taste and fry for 4-5 minutes. Make sure that capsicums retain their crispyness.
Add the ground paste, little water and mix well.
Cook for 3-4 minutes in medium heat.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roties.

Capsicum in Peanut Masala served with Rice and Tender Mango Pickle

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Capsicum Bhath

In South India Bhath(Usually named after rice items) is cooked every now and then. Usually they are quick and easy-to-make and so tasty! I got this capsicum bhath recipe from one of my friend's mom and I twisted the recipe a bit to add more spice and crunch to it. Crunchy capsicums and masala with fresh coconut jazz up the taste of the rice dish and make this recipe a big star!

Spicy Capsicum Bhath

Ingredients:
21/2 cups rice , cooked and cooled
2 big Capsicums/Bell Peppers, sliced (I have used half of each red, yellow, green and orange coloured)
3 tbsp of lemon juice
salt to taste

To saute and grind:
1 tbsp of Oil
2 tbsp Coriander seeds
2 tsp Cumin seeds
2-4 Dry red chillies(According to taste)
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tbsp Urad dal
3-4 Pepper corns
1 inch Cinnamon
1 tbsp Poppy seeds
1/4 cup of Tarmarind water
1/4 cup of grated coconut
1 tsp Termaric Powder

For Seasoning:
2 tbsp Ghee
1 tbsp Mustard
1 tbsp Urad dal
1 tbsp Chana dal
Few of Curry leaves
1-2 Dry red chillies
5-6 Cashwes

Capsicum Bhath

Method:
Take 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add Chana dal, urad dal, coriander, cumin seeds, red chillies, pepper corns and poppy seeds. Saute them till urad dal turns golden brown.
Grind all these masalas with tarmarind water, turmaric powder, coconut and water to smooth paste and keep aside.
Take Ghee in a pan and add all ingredients for seasoning. Fry them till cashews turn little golden yellow and they start spluttering.
To this add sliced capsicums and cook for 3-4 minutes in medium heat. See to it that they dont lose their crispiness.
Add masala paste and salt and cook with capsicum for 3-4 minutes.
Add cooked rice and mix them wel.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with any raita.

Capsicum Bhath

Variations:
Use Cauliflower florets or any other vegetables of your choice instead of capsicums.

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