Stuffed Chillies
In all Punjabi households - even if you have run out of lots of ingredients to make dinner with - there is always a bare minumum of stuff in the cupboard that can be used to knock something up in an emergency. And that bare minimum is potatoes and onions - and preferably also some green chillie peppers - preferably the long green ones that you can get in any Asian grocer shop - and they keep for ages in the fridge too. (Well a week or so at least). Here's what you'll need to make this fine-tasting accompaniment to a main meal - or indeed can be eaten alone as a sort of midnight snack if you're that way inclined:
What you need to make stuffed chillie peppers
2 long green chillie peppers
Half an onion
1 and a half small new potatoes - or one small one and one even smaller
one
Spices:
1heaped teaspoons of garam masala, half heaped of ground coriander, half
tsp salt, quarter tsp haldi (turmeric)
Pinch of onion seed (optional) and pinch of cumin seed (also optional
- but very tasty)
Some coriander leaf if you have any (I used frozen chopped leaf)
Just chop the onion sort of finely - and fry it in frying pan in a little vegetable oil. When the onions are soft throw in the pinches of onion and cumin seeds if you are using them. Fry it all about for a bit:
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Whilst the onion pan is going - boil or microwave the potatoes (in their skins if you are using new potatoes) until they are soft - should only take 3.5 mins in microwave if using small ones. And also carefully cut a slit in the green chillie peppers that you will eventually stuff the mixture into:
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When the potatoes are soft - let them cool a bit - and then dice them up. Add them to the frying pan and add all the spices and stir it around until the spices have infused into the mixture of potatoes and onions - it should only take say 5 minutes or so. Then empty the contents of the frying pan into a small bowl and mash up the potato and onion mixture with a fork until it is not so lumpy as before:
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Then stuff all the mushed up mixture into the chillie peppers through the slits you created earlier - pack it all in real tight - but don't overfill. If you have any surplus mixture just eat it there and then. (Go on!) Then place the stuffed chillies into a frying pan with some more hot vegetable oil and fry for around 15 mins - turning over occasionally on all sides:
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The outer skin of the chillies should be blistered and charred after a while - then transfer them to a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven (say 170 celcius) for a further 20 mins or so - this will soften the chillie peppers some more:
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Then - just serve up and eat - like I said earlieryou can eat this is a side to another main dish - which is what I did tonight - or you could eat them just like that:
Stuffed chillie peppers - very tasty!
Have you tried this? Even
if you haven't - let me know what you think!
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