Recipe: Ruchira's Stuffed Shimla Mirch

Ruchira Acharekar recasts simple green capsicums into something delicious by stuffing them with a chatpata potato mixture.

She learnt her recipe for Stuffed Shimla Mirch from her mum Rutuja Rajan Acharekar.

It is not a preparation typical to her native Maharashtra but more north Indian and Punjabi, but the addition of Pav Bhaji masala adds a unique taste, quite Bombay-ish.

Says Ruchira: "My mother makes everything so tasty, it's difficult to select any one dish that she makes best. But my favourite is her Palak Paneer and the Maharashtrian dish, Wal Sabzi.

"We are originally from the Konkan region, specifically from Aachra village, near Malvan, in Sindhudurg district. My mother is from Wayangani, also near Malvan, which is a beautiful small village and her hometown.

"Our food culture is mostly coastal, but over time I chose to follow a vegetarian diet and am the only vegetarian in the family.

"I would also like to add one more thing: I don't particularly love cooking, but I started enjoying it because of my mother-in-law Sneha Sudhir Khot. Both she and my mother are wonderful cooks, so credit goes to both of them."

Stuffed Shimla Mirch

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 5 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled, well mashed
• 3 medium Shimla mirch or green capsicum or green bell pepper
• 2-3 green chillies
• 8-10 curry leaves
• 4 pods garlic
• 1-inch piece ginger
• ½ tsp jeera or cumin seeds
• ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chilly powder
• 1 tsp Pav Bhaji masala
• ¼ tsp hing or asafoetida
• Handful fresh green dhania or coriander leaves or cilantro, chopped
• Salt to taste, about 2 tsp
• 2-3 tbsp oil or more as per your choice

Method

• Grind the green chillies, garlic, ginger into a paste.
  Keep aside.
• Cut the capsicums in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds and the white spongy fibrous part.
  Heat 1 tsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
  Lightly sauté the capsicums for a minute
• Take off heat and keep aside to cool.

For the the potato filling:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan or a kadai over medium heat.
  Add the hing or asafoetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger-garlic-chilly paste.
  Saute for few minutes.
  Add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, Pav Bhaji masala, coriander and mix.
  Then add in the mashed potatoes, salt and cook for 3-4 minutes.
  Take of heat and cool.

Assembly:

• Fill the prepared potato mixture inside each of the capsicum halves.
  Heat ½ tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat and place the stuffed capsicums in the pan.
  Cover and shallow fry on both sides until the capsicums turn light green.
  Take off heat and serve hot with rotis or bhakris.

• REDIFF FOOD