Just to share with you……..

I had this rice for the first time in Rihalya’s (Brother’s daughter) first birthday party. We ordered food from outside. Capsicum rice was included in  the menu. I liked it a lot. I won’t use capsicum much in my cooking. Very rarely I use  this while frying chicken for fajita (Mexican food).South Indian Capsicum rice recipe is fast and flavorful dish. Easy to make recipe. I want to try out this recipe so I tried out  and it cameout Yummy!!! This is very simple and comes very handy when we have to pack lunch in the morning. It saves a lot of time. Try it out and enjoy. This can be great pot-luck dish.

Capsicum / Bell pepper/ Kudamilagai Rice

Ingredients:

1. Rice  – 1 cup ( Sona Masoori rice or basmathi rice)
2. Capsicum –1 large izes (thinly sliced or diced)
3. Onion – 1 (small size -cutted like capsicum  (optional))
4. Tomato – 1/2 (optional)
5. oil /ghee – 2 tsp
6. Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
7. Urud dal & channdal – 1/2 tsp
8. Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
9. Asafoetida powder – a pinch
10. Salt – as required
11. Curry and coriander leaves (cilantro)- as needed

For Powder

1. urud dal – 1 tsp
2. channa dal – 1tsp
3. corriander seeds- 1tsp
4. Red chillie  -3
5. cinnamon stick -1
6. Cardamom – 1

Preparation

1. Cook rice and allow it to cool. Separate grains.
2. Dry roast all the ingredients under For Powder and grind that into fine powder.
3. Heat little oil/ghee and add mustard seeds,curryleaves when it sputters, add urud dal/channa  dal.
4. Add onion,tomato and capsicum and fry well for 2mins.
5. Add turmeric, salt, asafoetida powder .Stir well and now add  the powder. Mix well.
6. Now add the cooked rice mix all together.
7. Garnish with cilantro.Serve with Raitha.

Tips

For Richness

1. You can garnish with Ghee fried Cashews or Roasted Peanuts .
2. Carrot and peas can be cooked separately and add to the rice to make it more colorful.

For different taste

While frying the Capsicum, add 1/2 teaspoon Tamarind Concentrate  or lemon juice drops for a different taste.

Just to Share with you…..

Last time when I went to India I had red chilli chutney for the first time.  Red chilli chutney is nothing but grinding  dry redchilli,little tamarind,salt in the stone grinder (used in villages). True taste of this lies in the tool which they are used for grinding.  After coming back to India , oneday while browsing I found a new modern version of chilli chutney . Itz nothing but Red Pepper chutney. I tried it. Itz really good but not hot like what I had in India which is made of  dry red chilli.

Red Pepper chutney

Ingredients

1. Red Capsicum - 1
2. Fresh green chilles which turned as red Chillies – 3 to 4 according to taste
3. Jaggery – Little (optional those who can’t bare the hot of capsicum can use this)
4. Salt to taste
5. Tamarind – Small lime size
6. Oil
7. Hing

For Tempering

1. Mustard Seeds
2. Urad dal
3. Curry leaves.

Preparation:

1. Chop the Capsicum and Chillies and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp of Oil in a tawa and fry this Chilli pieces (both chillies) until the raw smell goes away.
3. Cool and  grind it along with Jaggery (optional), Tamarind, Salt and Hing.
4. Heat one tsp of oil and temper the Mustard Seeds, urad Dal and Curry leaves.

Tips

If you feel that chutney is having raw smell then take one tawa first temper with the ingredients then add the grinded chutney in to it and fry that for few mins.

Another Variation

• You can dry roast Urud dal and channa dal  and grind along. This will make you chutney little coarse not too fine paste. Hope Many likes chutney in coarse form.
• You can add little onion and coconut too.