Besan Vali Shimla Mirchi, Marwadi Style

Have you ever experienced a feeling when you are sad and happy at the same time? That is what I am feeling these days. I was flying for India by the end of this month and now I have to postpone my trip for another 2 months because my little brother is getting married in January. I am very happy and excited to attend the wedding-the Indian wedding-my brother’s wedding but another 2 months extension is kind of making me sad.

We will have to be here in the UK for the whole December, the depressing weather, and the gloomy streets, when all our friends will be having fun time with their families in India. Yeah there are Christmas lights to cheer you up, lots of discounts and sale in the stores but damn I am just missing my family a lot.

Why do you love to visit your family? Well, the warmth that your loved ones shower on you , the late night chit chats with your cousins, the mom cooked food,  pampering, your old room.....oh everything about meeting your family is great- isn’t it?

When nothing can cheer you up, your mom’s special dishes can only come to rescue. My husband called my maa and asked her for the recipe that is easy and one of favourite. After a lot of thinking he tried to make Besan Vali Shimla Mirchi to make me happy :) His gesture and attempt did wonders and I realized how immature and kiddish I was behaving. One needs to be happy in life no matter what- lesson learnt :)

Besan vali mirchi is one of the most popular marwadi dishes in Rajasthan. Besan that is chickpea flour is roasted on slow flame to release amazing aroma, which is later mixed with Indian spices, homemade garam massala and finally coated over huge chunks of capsicum. Fennel seeds (saunf) give authentic marwadi touch to the subji and this is probably the easiest vegetarian side dish -c’mon my husband cooked it to perfection.

Ingredients:

2 capsicums/shimla mirch

1 green chilli/hari mirchi

2 tablespoons gram flour/chickpea flour/besan

2 tablespoons oil/tel

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder/haldi

1 teaspoon coriander powder/dhaniya

1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds/saunf

Pinch of Asafoetida/hing

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger/adrak

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice/nimbu ka ras

Method:

Take a non stick pan and roast gram flour and fennel seeds on a slow flame. Roast till gram flour gives nice aroma/smell.

Chop capsicum into bite size chunks. Also chop green chilli finely.

Heat oil in a pan, to it add aseofetida and cumin seeds.

Mix in chopped ginger and green chilli, mix and let it cook.

Add in capsicum, corineder powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix and cook it covered on a slow flame for 2 minutes or till capsicum is half done.

Add roasted gram flour, garam massala and 1/4 cup of water. Mix and cook covered for another 1 minute. Serve hot.

Notes:

I have used coloured capsicum, but feel free to you use any kind.

The consistency is semi dry, just that capsicum is coated with spices.

Make sure that capsicum is not over cooked; else the subji will turn soggy.

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with any Indian bread- parathas, roti, kulchas or puri.

Serve as a side with rice and daal.

Just roll up in the parathas, or rotis. Great for tiffins and lunch boxes.

This will make a great stuffing for sandwiches too.