Have you ever tried cooking lunch while listening to your favorite music? It has such a restorative effect on the nerves! So, if you haven’t ever let your hair down while stirring the soup or tossing the noodles, do give it a try.
Today’s recipe is of Potato-Capsicum Fry or Aloo-Shimla Mirch Ki Sabzi. This side-dish is a Sindhi-specialty, made in every Sindhi home. You know what my Mom says? She says that I must be able to cook our staples, if I want to find myself a good Sindhi groom! Now that’s comical I know. Nevertheless, that is the logic Indian parents follow! So, I have learned to cook many Sindhi dishes, because you know I am so keen on marrying a fine Sindhi guy! *Sarcasm* 😀
Ok no kidding. It was only my own wish and my willingness to learn to cook new recipes. Now, let us come back to it. I have stuffed myself on this delicacy ever since I was 3 years old! I can still recall the old days when I sat across the kitchen counter with my coloring book and a pack of crayons as Mom cooked. Mom gave me some fried potatoes and capsicum before adding spices to them. And I would joyfully gobble on them as a starter! The spicy ones would be had with rice and daal.
I made these yesterday while singing along to Ron Pope’s ‘A Drop in the Ocean’ and ‘How to Save a Life’ by Fray. I tell you, Grey’s Anatomy has the best soundtracks!
This dish pairs up really well with tridaali daal and jeera rice. Tridaali daal is made from using 3 varieties of pulses and jeera rice is the rice with a tempering of cumin seeds and green chilies. I will share these recipes soon! For now, let us see how to make Potato-Bell Pepper Fry… Sindhi-Style!
Ingredients
- Potatoes- 5, medium
- Capsicum / Green bell pepper – 3, medium
- Oil- For frying
- Red chili powder- 1 & 1/2 tsp
- Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Dried mango powder AKA Amchur powder – 1/2 tsp
- Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
- Salt- To taste
- Green chilies- 5
- Cilantro – Finely chopped, for garnishing
How to Make Potato-Capsicum Fry?
- Heat enough oil in a skillet. Make sure the skillet has a heavy bottom. The oil should be sufficiently hot. If the oil is not hot enough, the potatoes tend stick to the skillet and soak up a lot of oil.
- Add potatoes to the oil. Do so very gently and carefully, because the oil often splutters around.
- Allow the potatoes to fry in hot oil for 6 to 7 minutes. Then stir them around and allow them cook further for next 6 to 7 minutes. Carry on this process for a couple of times. The potatoes should be golden and cooked. You must avoid too much stirring and tossing the potatoes. Otherwise they will crumble and lose their shape.
- Throw in green chilies. The chilies are a delight to bite into; crunchy and tangy!
- Toss in the capsicum. Stir around well to ensure the oil coats the capsicum well.
- The capsicum takes little time to be done, may be around 4 minutes. It should retain the fresh green hue.
- You will need to get rid of the remaining oil, which you can use later on for cooking something else. You can take the veggies out onto a kitchen towel and move them into another skillet. The oil coating the veggies is adequate to cook the spices.
- Get the veggies back on low flame. Season them with salt and spices. Toss everything well and cook for 2 minutes. The veggies should be evenly covered with the spices.
- Garnish with cilantro and it’s done! Serve hot with daal-rice or roti and pickle.
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