Capsicum Kurma

A very nice break from the usual onion/tomato based gravies. Roasted peanuts, sesame seeds along with capsicum gives this kurma a fresh & nice flavor. Capsicum Kurma is indeed a tasty break from the regular gravies and goes well with rice/roti.

Peanuts - Coconut - Sesame seeds - Does that remind you of any other cuisine? Yep, Thai it is. It had been quite a while since I had some good Thai food, but sure this gravy reminded me of Thai Curry / Panang Curry. Recently, we bought cellophane noodles a.k.a bean noodles from costco and I couldn't praise myself enough for putting the noodles & capsicum gravy together!

In my opinion, this gravy should make a great side for south Indian breakfast items like idli / idiyappam too!

Basic Info

Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 10 mins
Cook time - 20 mins
Serves - 3-4

Ingredients
Carrot - 2
Peas - a handful
Bell Peppers - 3 medium
Onion - 1
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro - to garnish
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

For Masala Powder
Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut - 1.5 tbsp (replace it with dry coconut powder/flakes)
White sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chilli - 1 no
Raw Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Method

Dry roast all the items under 'For Masala Powder' over low flame until crisp & golden brown. Let it cool completely. Use a mixer and grind into fine powder without adding water. Keep it aside.

In a saucepan, heat oil. When hot, crackle cumin seeds. Add onion and saute until it turns translucent. Add carrot, peas, bell pepper and saute until tender yet crispy, for about 3-5 mins. To this, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and cook until the raw smell of spice powders are gone.

Now add the ground masala powder, give it a good mix and cook for a min on low heat. Take care not to burn the spices. Add 3/4 cup of water (or as required), and let the mixture boil over medium heat. Cook until the gravy thickens for about 2 mins and remove from heat.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve warm with rice/roti.

Note

- Cooking cellophane noodles is similar to cooking pasta, just that cellophane noodles cooks much faster than the pasta. For more info, refer to the package instructions.