Capsicum, famously known as Shimla Mirch in Hindi, is called Bell Pepper in English. It is available in three beautiful colours – green, yellow and red.
It is an all-season vegetable and available throughout the world. There is hardly any dish that uses capsicum exclusively; rather it is used with other vegetables.
This richly nutritious vegetable is used to add colours, crunchiness and a distinct flavour to any dish. In this blog, we will know about the most popular capsicum dishes in Indian cuisines.
Uses of Capsicum in Bengali & Indian Cuisines
Breakfast:
Chow Mein, an exotic dish from China, uses capsicum along with other vegetables.
The recipe, which is good for both breakfast and snacks, is a top favourite with many Indians, especially the teenagers and youths.
Use of three types of capsicum makes the dish colourful and flavourful as well.
Sabji and Gravy:
Honestly speaking, Bongs don’t have any traditional capsicum recipe of their own. So, they usually follow the North Indian cooking style, sometimes with a little twist that appeals to their taste.
Carrot and capsicum sabji is a colourful and flavourful North Indian curry that explores the goodness of both vegetables.
Carrot and capsicum coated with spicy, tangy masala mix go best with plain dal roti. You can use sweet corn and mushroom to take the flavours and nutrition a few notches up.
Sweet corn and capsicum gravy is a colourful preparation packed with the richness of your favourite vegetables.
It is easy to make and a perfect recipe for your daily meals. Capsicum and corn are cooked in cashew-yogurt gravy.
The mildly spicy dish is loved by kids and adults alike. Kids don’t like vegetables. This delicious gravy will make them fall in love with the greens.
Vaangi Shimla mirchi bhaji is a famous Maharashtrian dish. Brinjals and capsicums cooked in onion-tomato gravy taste deliciously sweet-sour. Served with bhakri, ghavan or plain rotis, it makes a wonderful weekday lunch.
Sukhe gatte capsicum ki sabzi is a Rajasthani recipe. The dish explores a mouth-watering combination of crunchy capsicum and chewy besan mixture cooked with Indian spices. Pair it with phulka for a spicy, flavoured meal.
Rabodi simla mirch ki sabji is another popular delicacy in Rajasthan. Some of the Rajasthani dishes make a unique and interesting use of papad.
In this recipe, corn papad is simmered in spice-loaded tomato gravy with green capsicum slices tossed into it.
The recipe also uses garlic. The flavours of capsicum and garlic along with other spices give the traditional Rajasthani dish a grand and gorgeous twist.
If the name ‘Achari gobi Shimla mirch sabzi’ sounds very interesting, you will run out of words to describe its taste.
It is an easy-to-make recipe. Shimla mirch and gobi are tossed with spicy Achari masala for a different flavour. Serve it with phulka and raita for a complete meal.
The Parsis make a capsicum dish that explores the goodness of brinjals along with bell peppers. The Parsi style capsicum gravy is usually paired with pulavs or phulkas.
Capsicum tossed in peanut and coconut gravy is both nutritious and delicious. It is a spicy dish that exploits the goodness of every ingredient to the fullest. Try this for your everyday meal and thank me later for the suggestion.
Poriyal is a popular, traditional Kerala dish. Capsicum masala poriyal is a clever twist to the authentic recipe.
The tri colour capsicum slices are stir fried with onion and home-made masala mix.
The subtle sweetness from the onion slices finely balances the spiciness of freshly made masala whereas green, red and yellow capsicums add gorgeous colours and lovely crunchiness to the dish.
Capsicum usili is a South Indian curry. Usili is a traditional dish in Tamil Nadu. Lentils are steamed and cooked with different vegetables, particularly beans and a few spices.
Capsicum usili is an intelligent and instant version of the authentic usili recipe. Capsicum renders a beautiful colour and flavour along with a decent crunchiness to the dish. Serve it hot with steamed rice.
Capsicum masala curry is an indulging recipe. There are several versions of this curry but I will share the one which I love most.
Capsicum slices are slow cooked in spicy gravy tempered with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds.
Onion and garlic are also used in the recipe but you can skip them to cook a pure veg version of the dish.
The peanuts and sesame seeds lend the most unique and delightful taste to the curry. Try it at home to give a palatable experience to your jaded taste buds.
Have you ever tried paneer bhurji with capsicum? A simple innovation will make your familiar dish differently delicious.
This is a flavour-packed dish rich in protein. If paired with salad, roti or kadhi, it’s ideal for a weekend dinner.
Stuffed Delights:
Stuffed capsicum makhani – the name is interesting enough to make you feel curious. Stuffed capsicums dunk in rich and tangy makhani gravy drop ‘full of flavours’ bomb on your taste buds.
Enriched by the use of some aromatic dry spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, this lip-smacking dish goes best with warm phulkas.
Bharwa Shimla mirch or stuffed capsicum is probably the most popular capsicum recipe in India. It is mainly a Punjabi dish.
Capsicum is filled with spiced mashed potatoes and then baked to perfection in the oven. There are multiple variations of the dish and some use besan and cottage cheese as well.
It is a vegan dish but you can give it a non-veg makeover by using minced meat in place of mashed potato.
Snacks:
Kadai chole with capsicum is a nice twist to the traditional recipe. The crunchiness of onions and capsicum makes the dish more special and delicious. Perfect for your lunch!
Chole capsicum is a typical North Indian delicacy. The dish is popular across India. Capsicum and kabuli chana are slow cooked in cashew-based gravy.
The unmatched flavour of capsicum blends well with the spicy curry that is deliciously balanced by the subtle sweetness of cashew nuts.
Chutney:
Green capsicum chutney? It’s yummy. The lip-smacking dish is made with capsicum, coriander leaves and break rusk. Lemon brings out the most sumptuous taste with its subtle addition of tanginess and sweetness.
It’s a wonderful accompaniment for any meal, especially during lunch time. You can spread the chutney over sabudana vada, usually served as evening snacks.
Red capsicum chutney is a spicy and flavourful dish. Roasted red bell pepper and baby onions give a crunchy delight to the recipe. Serve it with dosa, idli or vada or spread it over butter toasted bread.
Is Capsicum Tasty?
Capsicum is crunchy and has a unique flavour. Red capsicum is the sweetest of three whereas green capsicum is the spiciest and mostly used in curries.
What Can You Do with Lots of Capsicum?
If you have bought lots of capsicum, store them in your fridge for future use. If refrigerated, capsicum remains fresh for 5 days.
Don’t store it in a plastic packet. Whip up a variety of dishes with capsicum instead of cooking the same recipe.
Use capsicum to cook curries, chutney, snacks and other items so that your taste buds get to experience refreshing flavours of the same vegetable.
What Are the Best Recipes of Capsicum?
I love capsicum in Chow Mein. Stuffed capsicum is a true delight for me.
Capsicum chutney was an unexpected burst of flavours in my mouth when I tried it for the first time.
It’s so tasty that I feel my mouth watering at the mere mention of the recipe.
Which Capsicum is Good for Cooking?
Green capsicum is widely used to cook gravies. Red capsicum is used to make a special type of chutney because of its subtle sweetness.
All three – red, green and yellow – are used in a few curries and chow Mein.
Questions & Answers:
What Dishes Can Be Made from Boiled Capsicum?
Capsicum slices are usually used to lend a crunchy bite to any preparation. Boiled capsicum is seldom used. However, you can use it to make chutneys if you prefer a perfect creamy output instead of a crunchy feel.
How Long Does Capsicum Take to Cook?
It depends on the dish you are cooking. However, it does not take a long time to cook capsicum.
What Goes Well with Capsicum?
Capsicum curry, gravy or chutney goes best with chapati, idli, dosa and even paratha. You can spread capsicum chutney over the butter-layered toasted breads.
