Masala Bell Pepper Curry
Masala Bell Pepper Curry, which is a Hyderabadi-style dish. Hyderabad dishes are very spicy and aromatic. For me, bell pepper curry represents these dishes well. I wanted to do a recipe for a side dish for a more formal get together. I happened to have some extra bell peppers in my fridge, so I decided to experiment with those.Since this is a dish for a party, I wanted the gravy to be spicy and rich. Of course, I had to try out variations of this recipe a few times to balance the flavor. This dish has a complex flavor. The nuttiness of the cashews, sesame seeds, and coconut blends perfectly together. The gravy for this dish is also very versatile. You can also make a variety of dishes with this gravy. You can try adding potatoes or paneer with this gravy base, comes out delicious. Bell Pepper Masala Curry is very aromatic and delicious, in addition to being vegan and gluten-free. If you enjoy hot and spicy food, indulge yourself with this dish! It pairs excellently with naan, puri, or plain white rice. Enjoy!Recipe will serve 4.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 medium size green bell pepper cut into bite size pieces
Spice Mix
- 1 tsp oil
- ¼ cup broken cashews
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp coriander
- 1 Tbsp coconut powder
Gravy
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomato I used 3 medium size tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp ginger cut into small pieces
- 1 Tbsp chopped green chili
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 8 fenugreek seeds methi dana
- 1 tsp cumin seeds jeera
- ¼ tsp turmeric haldi
- ⅛ tsp asafetida hing
- 1 tsp red chili powder lal mirch
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garam masala
Instructions
- Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the core and discard and cut them in bite size pieces.
- In a pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add cashews, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and on a low flame, stir fry them for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add coconut stir together. After the mix comes to room temperature blend the mix using about 1/4 cup of water and make it into a paste and set aside.
- Blend tomatoes, ginger, and green chili into a paste. Set aside.
- Use the same frying pan, heat the oil on medium heat, oil should be moderately hot. Add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafetida stir for a minute add tomato paste. Add turmeric, salt, sugar, and red chili powder. Stir fry for about 2 minutes, oil will start separating.
- Add the spice paste and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring. The spice mix will start to leave the oil. Add bell pepper stir and 1-1/2 cups of water and bring the gravy to boil.
- Lower the heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 6-8 minutes. Until bell pepper is tender.
- Gravy will thicken as it sits, if needed add more water.
- Sprinkle the garam Masala and cover the pan.
- Bell pepper curry is ready to serve. I like to serve this with Naan, or over plain rice.