Recently, I made this bell pepper rice for navarathri pooja get together. It is very simple and easy to put together. My daughter who is not a big fan of bell pepper ate this rice without much complaints.let us go straight to the recipe.
Get ready
- 1 green bell pepper / capsicum washed and diced small
- 2-3 table spoon oil
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp tamarind paste ( optional)
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds/ kadugu
- 1/2 tsp urad dal
- A few sprigs of curry leaves
- 1 cup of rice , cooked separately and cooled
To roast & grind
- 1 table spoon dhania / coriander seeds
- 1 table spoon Chana dal / kadalaparuppu
- 2 dried red chili
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 cloves
- 1-2 table spoon dried coconut
- 1/4 tsp asafetida
Go
- Cook rice, spread it on a plate to cool and set aside.
- In a pan add little oil and fry all the ingredients except dried coconut & asafetida.
- Once cool, grind them into a coarse powder. To this powder add the coconut and asafetida mix and set aside.
- In a pan, add the oil. Once hot add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the urad dal and fry till golden. Add the curry leaves and sauté for few seconds.
- Add the diced bell pepper , salt mix and cook till the peppers are a little soft but still a little crunch.
- Add tamarind if using, adjust salt as per your taste.
- Once the peppers are done, add the ground powder to the peppers and cook on aloe flame till all the flavors and masala gets incorporated in the pepper.
- Turn the heat off.
- In a wide mouthed bowl, take the rice add 1 table spoon of oil to the rice.
- Add the cooked bell pepper masala and toss them with the rice till every rice is coated with the masala. Mix gently so you don't make the rice mushy .
- Garnish with cilantro if you like it.
- Serve with raita, applam, chips and enjoy!
