Bell pepper is a very common vegetable that is used in almost all the cuisines around the world. Whether it’s in a Tandoor platter or Chinese appetizer; an Italian pasta or Middle Eastern hummus; a pizza or a burger you will see this vegetable almost everywhere in every cuisine. Apart from being available in a variety of colors, this vegetable is a superfood when it comes to nutritional values. It plays a vital role in treating cancer. I always use bell peppers in my recipes not only because of its health factors but also ’cause of its taste. Bell peppers stuffed with roasted chana dal and fried in spices is my all-time favorite. I shall post the recipe soon.
I used bell peppers for this chutney because of its bright colors. It tasted amazing and my family loved this new flavor in chutneys. I often use bell peppers in my dishes, but for the first time I used them to prepare a chutney and it turned out well, and got added into the list of most liked chutneys at home. The reason I wanted to especially prepare this chutney is that I wanted to hero the unique taste that bell peppers have, and I must say, it tasted delicious! My kids loved it so much that they asked me why I never prepared this chutney before. Since bell peppers have got many health benefits, there’s nothing wrong in adding them for various dishes and in various forms. We tried this chutney with Idli, Dosa and Pakora; and it tasted amazing with all of them. So do give it a try for next time when you prepare some snack or breakfast!
Click here for the recipes of other chutneys on my blog!
Bell Pepper/ Capsicum Chutney Recipe:
Wash and cut bell peppers into desired shape and size. Discard the seeds.
Heat oil in a pan and add a few cloves of garlic, and then add bell peppers to it. Sauté them for 5-7 minutes over medium heat.
When the bell peppers are cooked enough (don’t overcook), add a little bit of tamarind to it. You can use soaked tamarind or tamarind pulp. You can also try adding a tomato instead of tamarind for sourness. Keep the heat in low and add some turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt to taste. Instead of chili powder you can also use dry red chilies.
Finally add some sesame seeds on top and cook for another two minutes. Turn the heat off.
Grind it into a smooth paste. Do not add any water while grinding as the peppers and tamarind have enough moisture in them. After blending, transfer it into a bowl and season it with tempering. Heat oil in a tempering pan, add urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), dry red chilies and curry leaves. I also add a pinch of fenugreek powder in tempering for most of my chutneys and pickles to enhance the flavor. Enjoy it with any breakfast dish, appetizer or snack. You can also use it as a dip for sandwiches or wraps. Enjoy!
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