Stuffed Capsicum
Stuffed Capsicum are a popular dish made across the world. Stuffed Capsicum are bell peppers stuffed with a variety of fillings, ranging from vegetables, grains to meat and sometimes they are also topped with cheese. These Indian style Stuffed Capsicum are simply the best and have a stuffing made with potatoes, carrots, peas, spices and herbs. You can also include paneer if you want.
About Stuffed Capsicum
Also known as Bharwa Shimla Mirch, these Stuffed Capsicum make for a great side in a meal but you can also serve them for a tea time snack with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee or soup & sandwiches.
Unlike the American stuffed bell peppers that are baked in oven, these are grilled or roasted in a pan on the stovetop. I use small bell peppers of different colors as they are easily available where I live.
However if you do not have access to small bell peppers you may use large ones too. If using extremely large peppers it is ideal to halve them before stuffing.
In this post I show with stepwise pictures how to cook the stuffed capsicum in a pan on the stovetop. I have also included the instructions to bake and air fry them.
I personally prefer to use small to medium sized capsicum because they have sweeter flavors. The flavour and taste of the bell peppers change with color and size.
Green capsicum have a more pungent and bitter flavor compared to the others. Yellow bell peppers have a mild fruity taste & have slight sweet tones. Red capsicum are sweeter with slight citrusy notes.
You may use any one color or different colors depending on how you like your stuffed capsicum to be.
How to make Stuffed Capsicum
Preparation
1. Boil or steam 3 medium or 2 large potatoes until soft. I prefer to steam the veggies so they don’t over cook. You can also boil the whole potatoes in a cooker or in a pot. Here I peeled and diced the potatoes, transferred to a steam basket. I steamed them over a pot.
2. When the potatoes are 3/4th cooked, add 1 diced carrot and ¼ cup peas to the steam basket. Steam for a little longer until just cooked.
3. Rinse the capsicums. Small to medium sized ones work better. If you have large bell peppers, halve them.
4. Cut off the tops. I also cut slightly on the bottom for frying them conveniently. Do do not make a deep cut at the bottom. You want the bottom to be closed.
5. Deseed them gently.
Make the stuffing
6. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Add ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and 2 garlic cloves chopped. Fry until the garlic smells good.
7. Add 1 small sliced onion (about 1/3 cup slices). Also chop the bell pepper tops to smaller bite sized pieces and add them here. Saute all of them well until the onions turn golden.
8. Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala and 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi.
9. Saute just for a minute.
10. Add the steamed veggies and 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.
11. Mash the veggies well. Add 1/3 teaspoon salt. Taste test and add more if you want. If you want you can also add half teaspoon amchur or 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
12. Stuff the capsicums.
13. Heat the same pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Add the stuffed peppers.
14. Cover and cook on a medium to low flame until the capsicum is half cooked or fully cooked to suit your taste. These can be grilled in a preheated oven at 200 C or 400 F for 8 to 15 mins, depending on the size of your capsicum. If you want you can also air fry at the same temperature.
15. Sprinkle very little chaat masala mixed with a pinch of salt.