Stuffed Bellpepper with Grilled Feta ~Bharwan Simla Mirch~

Stuffed capsicum/bellpepper/simla mirch is one of those indulgent winter favourites that never fails to remind me of home. In those days we’d have to wait for winter to eat capsicum and perhaps they were grown in the higher grounds like Shimla and so probably the name. My mum would insist on nice big capsicums, with firm skin, and those that could sit upright… these are the prerequisites for perfect stuffed bellpeppers that don’t cave in to the stuffing, or tumble all over the pan, and basically hold forth its own in an ultimate culinary coup.

At my place stuffed capsicum mean peppers filled with a spicy mash of potatoes, served with garlic infused dhal that has been generously sprinkled with coriander, and hot, fluffy chappatis. The capsicums are usually pan fried in oil, posing two serious problems, one, hot oil burns hands, and second, hot oil makes for a messy stove. So that is how a winters treat, remains a winter’s treat in my home, inspite of capsicum being available the year round these days!

This recipe has non of that mess, I wanted to do a non traditional variation of my stuffed peppers, and so baked the peppers along with some feta and served with skillet cooked pita bread. That grilled feta is something else!! Baking was a really good idea and I recommend this version to be tried by anyone who likes stuffing their bellpeppers!

first things first

Boil 4 medium sized potatoes, peel and mash, set aside
Find 4 good capsicums, remove top, hollow out the innards and set aside

remaining ingredients

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 green chilly, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chilly powder (optional)
salt to taste
oil for basting

optional ingredients for garnish

four thick square slices of feta cheese
1 tomato, quartered
1 onion, quartered
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
sprinkle of salt and sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
2. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan and pop the mustard seeds, follow this by sauteing the ginger, garlic, green chilly, and onions, until the onions are translucent. Add salt, followed by the spices – turmeric, coriander, cumin, chilly, and garam masala – stir and give it a minute on low flame.
3. Next, add the mashed potatoes to the spicy mixture and give the whole thing a good mix. Set aside to cool.
4. When cool enough to handle, stuff the hollowed out capsicum with the potato mixture, top with a slice of feta and place in a roasting pan.
5. Mix the onions and tomatoes with the olive oil, salt, sugar, and vinegar, and spread all around the base of the roasting pan.
6. Pour a bit of olive oil right over the top of the stuffed capsicum and use your hands or a brush to coat the capsicum with oil.
7. Place in the oven, and bake for upto 45 to 50 minutes, until the capsicum looks cooked, and brown over the edges.
8. Serve with warm Pita bread.

I’ll do the skillet cooked pita recipe in another post.

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