Stuffed Capsicum..in a truly rich gravy

Stuffed Capsicum is really a exotic dish and is one of my favorite dishes which I generally order if we go to any restaurant.It is little elaborate to prepare at home,but when prepared with a bit of patience the end product is so amazing which is worth all the effort that you have put in.I generally make it on some special occasions to celebrate it with more fun having good food.I assure you that you will not miss the restaurant touch in this curry and it tastes really really yummy,all I can say it is just finger licking food.I have already told you in this post that the addition of melon seeds instead of cashew nuts works like a magic and makes all the difference in the taste of gravy.In most of the dhaba's they use melon seeds in the gravy as it works out cheaper for them when compared to cashewnuts and it also gives a very special taste to the gravy.I kept on postponing this post as I thought that I will update the post with good pictures,but these days I am really lazy to cook anything elaborate.So,I have decided to post this and will update later with some updated photographs.Here comes the recipe of my one of the favorite curries,hope you all enjoy making this a home.

Ingredients:
6 medium sized green capsicum
2-3 tbsp fresh cream(optional)
1.5 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp kasuri methi
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For gravy 1:
2 Onions,sliced
1/4 cup melon seeds or 8-10 cashewnuts
1 tsp oil

For gravy 2:
4 Tomatoes
1 tsp tomato sauce
1" ginger
4-5 garlic pods
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp amchur powder
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
1 tsp oil

For stuffing:2 medium potatoes,boiled
1/4 cup fresh/frozen green peas
1/4 cup finely diced paneer
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 small onion,finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp amchur powder or 1/2 lemon squeezed
1/4 tsp jeera +1/4 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
1/4 tsp kasuri methi
4-5 cashewnuts,broken
2 tbsp raisins
salt to taste
1 tsp oil


Method: For gravy 1:

• Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and fry sliced onions until brown in color.Keep them aside.
• Soak the melon seeds or cashew seeds in warm water for 15 mins.
• Grind the fried onion and melon seeds to a very fine paste adding some water while grinding if necessary.

For gravy 2:

• Slit tomatoes(make a cross at one end of tomatoes) and drop them in boiling water and cook for 2-3 mins.Remove them and let them cool for sometime.Peel out the skins,remove the seeds and chop them roughly.
• In a pan heat a tsp of oil and add chopped ginger and garlic and fry for a minute until brown.Add chopped tomato(blanched,skinned and seeded) to it and fry until the oil leaves the mixture.Add coriander powder,jeera powder,turmeric,amchur powder,salt,tomato sauce and fry for a minute.Cool the mixture and blend into a very smooth puree.

For Stuffing:

• Peel the skins of boiled potatoes and grate it or mash it properly.
• Microwave fresh/frozen peas for 3mins until tender.
• Heat oil in a pan and crackle jeera and fennel seeds and add broken cashewnuts, finely chopped onions and fry until light brown in color.
• Add mashed potatoes and boiled peas and fry until the mixture is well mixed.
• Add red chilli powder,jeera powder,amchur powder,garam masala,kasuri methi,salt to taste.Fry for a minute and switch off the flame.
• Add finely diced panner,raisins,and chopped coriander to it and mix well.If you are using lemon juice instead of amchur powder add it and now mix well.

For stuffed capsicum:

• Remove the tops of capsicums and remove the seeds and white edges inside.Grease the inner and outer side of capsicums with oil and arrange it on a aluminium foil lined baking dish.
• Pour a tsp of tomato gravy(gravy 2) in all the capsicum shell and stuff 1 tbsp of potato stuffing and then pour again a tsp of tomato gravy and continue the process until the capsicum is completely filled.Take care that the top layer should be potato stuffing mixture.The addition of gravy in between the stuffed potato mixture makes the capsicums more juicy and tasty when you bite in and also will not make the capsicum dry.Repeat the process for all the capsicums.
• Brush the top portion with some butter and keep the baking tray in the preheated oven @ 180 degrees for 15-20 mins until the edges of capsicum start slightly brown in color.

The Final gravy:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter in a big pan and add the onion melon seed mixture and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomato puree(gravy 2) to it and let it cook until the oil leaves the edges.
• Now add cream to it and red chilli powder,garam masala,kasuri methi powder(slightly roast kasuri methi and crush it in hands) and required salt to it and cook for a minute.
• Arrange the stuffed capsicum in the serving platter and pour the gravy all over it and garnish with coriander.

Serve hot with Naan/roti/kulcha/pulao/jeera rice.

I served mine with whole wheat Naan and some tofu tikka.

Note:

• You can even use red or yellow bell peppers or big sized tomato instead of capsicum and follow the same procedure to prepare it.
• If you are using big capsicum,cut it vertically into half (2 portions) and can also make the same way.
• The process of addition of gravy in between the stuffed potato mixture while making the stuffed capsicum makes the capsicums more juicy and tasty when you bite in and also will not make the capsicum dry.This is a very important process which makes the stuffed capsicums more tastier,so do not skip the process.
• You can even top the stuffed capsicum's with grated cheese and bake it and serve as a starter without the gravy.