It has been a hectic weekend and I had almost given up on posting anything this weekend, but when I made this beautiful traffic light (red-orange-green) bell pepper stir-fry curry, I could not resist clicking pictures.
So, what do you all think of microwave ovens and their safely? I haven’t made up my mind yet, but the convenience factor sure is unbeatable. Every weekend, V and I prepare enough food to last us for about 3 or 4 days into the week. We store this in the refrigerator in Pyrex glass containers, so that we can reheat in the microwave oven.
(As an aside, reheating anything in plastic containers, even the so-called BPA-free ones, in the microwave oven is a no-no in our house. We even avoid plastic lids and use a glass plate to cover the food if needed.)
Anyway, our 9-year old microwave decided to conk out on us and we spent all of yesterday hunting for a new one that we liked. And that is why I had almost decided to drop my plans to post anything this weekend. And then this beautiful bell pepper stir-fry came about!
My go-to reference book for food that tastes like amma’s cooking is Chandra Padmanabhan’s Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India. Not only do I own two copies of the book (an Indian edition and a US edition), I have also gifted it to numerous friends. This recipe is from yet another delicious book by the same author called Simply South: Traditional Vegetarian Cooking, which covers a broader region in Southern India.
Recipe for Stir-Fried Traffic Light Bell Pepper Curry
Adapted from Simply South: Traditional Vegetarian Cooking by Chandra Padmanabhan
[Printable Recipe]
Adapted from Simply South: Traditional Vegetarian Cooking by Chandra Padmanabhan
[Printable Recipe]
Ingredients:
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil (or any vegetable oil)
- 1 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 dried red chili pepper, halved
- 1-2 sprig curry leaves (optional)
- 3 large bell peppers, one green, one orange and one red, washed and chopped in to 1/2 inch pieces
- 5 Tbsp chickpea or garbanzo bean flour (also known as besan in Hindi and kadalai maavu in Tamil)
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder (or less if you cannot handle spicy)
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan, preferably cast-iron, or an iron wok
- When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, and when they start spluttering, add cumin seeds, red chilies and curry leaves
- Add the chopped bell pepper and stir on high heat for 2 minutes
- Then lower the heat, cover and let it cook for around 7 minutes (you can do less if you like the bell pepper to have a bit of crunch)
- While the bell pepper is cooking, mix together the chickpea flour, coriander powder, chili powder and salt to taste
- Uncover the pan or wok and sprinkle on the mixed spices and stir till well distributed
- Increase the heat to medium and continue stirring for 4-5 minutes until the curry is completely dry
- Switch off the heat, transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with white rice
Notes:
- Next time I may try making this stir-fry curry with just green bell peppers. I did not care for the sweetness of the red and orange peppers as much, although V loved it.
- In the book, Chandra Padmanabhan recommends mixing the spices and chickpea flour with a little oil in to a flaky mixture before sprinkling it on the curry. I tried this last time and it did not work as well, so I decided to sprinkle on the dry mixture and add oil if necessary.
- You can find all the spices and chickpea flour in your local ethnic Indian grocery store.
A satisfying stir-fry curry, best eaten immediately after cooking (does not hold up well when microwaved). And that’s what we did – we ate it all, right away with white rice and a dollop of ghee.