Aloo Capsicum Dry – Peppy Peppery Side Dish!

Thick colorful bell pepper strips and wedge-cut potatoes, shallow-fried with fragrant spices. Uses no onion, tomato, ginger or garlic. This aloo capsicum dry sabzi is just right for days when your pantry has run out of Indian curry staples.

You Need:

• Potatoes – 2 large
• Red/yellow bell peppers – 2
• Green chilies – 2
• Amchoor powder (raw mango powder) – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon [buy here]
• Cumin powder – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon [buy here]
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2 tablespoons

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How To Make Aloo Capsicum Dry:

1. Prep the vegetables

Boil the potatoes unpeeled till they have softened slightly – just enough to make the skin come off easily, not so much that it get mashed. This step is to quicken the cooking process with oil and make the peel come off easily. (If boiling in an Indian-style pressure cooker, place the potatoes along wit two cups of water into the cooker, lock lod and place on high heat till the cooker gives off a whistle. Let the pressure release naturally.)

Pick the potatoes out of the water they were boiled in and let them cool to room temperature. Peel and slice them into thick sticks or wedges.

Core and chop the peppers to roughly the same thickness and length as the potato wedges.

2. Cook

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Slide in the potato wedges when the oil is hot.

Cook the potatoes covered, moving them around every other minute. If there is some sticking to the bottom of the pan, do not hurry to scrape it – it will all come off easily when you cover the pan and let some moisture build inside.

Let the potato wedges turn gold-rimmed, then add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and some salt.

Mix and tip in the chopped bell peppers and whole green chilies.

Give it a stir to coat the bell peppers with the spices. Adjust salt and continue to cook till the vegetables are cooked to your liking. I prefer the bell peppers to have some crunch (about 2 mins covered + 5 mins uncovered) – if you want them softer, add to the cooking time.

Note: Red/yellow bell peppers cook faster than green. If using a mix of green/red/yellow, add the green bell peppers a couple of minutes before before you add the red and yellow.

When the vegetables are nearly done, sprinkle half a teaspoon of amchoor powder. Mix well.

Potato capsicum dry sabzi is ready.

Serve as a colorful accompaniment to any Indian meal.

Notes:

Bell peppers interest you? Then you should check out these recipes:

Meal below (clockwise from left): buttery green beans, spiced fried onions, Gujarati moong dal, aloo capsicum dry, chapatis.