I just realized while writing this blog post that there are no aloo or Potato based recipe on the blog. Well I am glad, I finally decided to write this recipe and blog it today. Aloo and Capsicum is a wonderful match. The veggies really blend well in a pav bhaji or when the latter is filled with the former to form stuffed mirchis…. Another recipe that I need to blog soon ?
Some trivia - Do you know that the potato was first cultivated in South America between 3 and 7 thousand years ago, though scientists believe they may have grown wild in the region as long as 13,000 years ago.
I am yet to meet someone who doesn't like potatoes. Mumbai, the city that I belong from cannot imagine a single day without the quintessential wada pav, a spicy potato mixture dunked in chickpea flour which is deep fried and served in a bun bread that's slathered with spicy garlic chutney and green coriander chutney.
I feel Potatoes are notoriously famous & are labelled as a fattening / high calorie vegetable but I somehow find that untrue. Yes, it does have carbs but as long as you don’t dip them in chickpea flour and fry them in oil, its all good. An occasional serving in the form of mixed veggies or parathas early morning with ghee will never mean any harm. They are probably more nutritious than your packaged products like cornflakes or instant noodles.
Potatoes are also the best binding agents for Indian Khana especially the tikkis or cutlets. I don’t like coating with bread crumbs and usually use crumbled poha or flattened rice which is healthier. I rarely deep fry cutlets or tikkis as we prefer pan fried with few drops of oil where we can indulge an extra piece or two.
I usually pack this Sabzi for lunch along with some dal rice or as a wrap with methi theplas for husband. They turn out to be amazingly filling. I actually prefer the no-onion garlic version as its less pungent and can be eaten even when travelling without any discomfort.
Although, I would recommend having this sabzi with kadhi or spiced buttermilk and some steamed rice over rotis or parathas as its sheer comfort food. Please try the combo and let me know if I am right !
Check out the detailed recipe below.
Prep time - 15 mins
Cooking time - 20 mins
Ingredients (serves 2 persons)
- Potatoes – 2 nos. cut into cubes
- Shimla Mirch or Green Bell Pepper or Capsicum – 2 nos. cut into cubes
- Jeera or Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Oil – 1 tblsp
- Garam Masala – ½ tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Haldi or Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
- Hing or asafoetida – 1 pinch
- Water – ½ glass for cooking the veggies
- Salt – as per taste
Method –
- Heat a heavy bottom non-stick kadhai or a wok, add oil and cumin seeds. Let the cumin seeds turn slightly brown then add hing and turmeric powder.
- Add the chopped potatoes and bell pepper. Mix everything well. Add salt and splash some water for the masalas to incorporate and cook the veggies.
- Cover the kadhai with a lid and let the veggies cook over a low flame for about 5-10 mins with an occasional stir.
- Once the potatoes are partially cooked, add the garam masala, red chilli powder and mix everything nicely. Allow it to further cook until the potatoes are soft.
- Once the veggies are cooked, switch off the flame and serve it hot / warm with your choice of dal and phulkas / parathas.
Notes –
- I have prepared this as a no-onion and garlic dish. However, you can add chopped garlic and onions after jeera / cumin seeds turns a bit brown. Saute them for a while, add the hing & turmeric and then add the veggies.
- You can also make the dish if you have some leftover boiled potatoes stored in fridge. Just follow all the steps and add the potatoes with the shimla mirch (in this case no need to add any water as potatoes have been cooked earlier). It takes even less time to whip up the dish in case you have boiled potatoes in hand.
- You can avoid using red chilli powder if making for kids.
- If you like spicy food like me, add some chopped green chillies too if you like just before switching off the flame.
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Vidya Narayan