Spicy Stuffed Chilies

Spicy stuffed chilies are very easy to make and a great accompaniment to any Indian meal. The stuffing is made of gram flour mixed with some Indian spices. You may add other ingredients in the stuffing. The combination of hot chilies and mild tangy stuffing is extremely flavorful and makes for a great side dish. The best chilies for stuffing are Bhavnagari chilies, but they are unavailable in the US. So, we will use big long green chilies (or whatever is available). The selected chilies should be fresh and wrinkle-free.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 8 pieces of spicy long chilies
• 2 tablespoons roasted gram flour
• 2 teaspoons dhanajeera/ cumin, coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Pinch of hing/ asafoetida 
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon amachur/ mango powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel
• 4 tablespoons of oil plus 1 tablespoon for masala
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash the chilies, pat dry and remove the stalks (optional - I kept the stalks). Make a slit lengthwise keeping it joined on the other side. Cut all chilies similarly and then cut them in two inches long pieces. 
2. Roast gram flour on low flame in a non-stick pan until it gets fragrant. Remove the flour from the pan into bowl. Then, add salt, garam masala, dhanajeera powder, turmeric powder, mango powder, garam masala and one teaspoon oil. Mix well .
3. Stuff the slit chilies with masala. Press gently and likewise stuff all the chilies.
4. Add oil in a pan/ kadai at medium-low heat. Allow it to get hot. Add mustard seeds and when they started to crackle, add cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Then, add hing and place the stuffed chilies in the pan and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame.
5. Keep tossing and flipping the sides until fully cooked. Take them out onto a plate.
6. Serve these stuffed chilies with your meal and relish eating.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

For this dish, you should get sweet peppers - not bell peppers/ capsicum. This will affect the taste quite a bit. Sweet peppers are softer and sweeter than bell peppers. These stuffed sweet peppers make for a nice accompaniment to any Indian meal and you may also stuff the sweet peppers with cheese, paneer, or potatoes to make a perfect appetizer dish as well. In the following recipe, I will describe making stuffed sweet peppers with everyday spices and gram flour. The taste of your meal will amplify serving these stuffed sweet peppers!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 8 sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange and/or green in color - variety will look more appealing)
• 2 tablespoons roasted gram flour
• 2 teaspoons dhanajeera/ cumin, coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Pinch of hing/ asafoetida 
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon amachur/ mango powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel
• 4 tablespoons of oil plus 1 tablespoon for masala
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Wash the peppers and pat dry. Make a slit lengthwise in a pepper keeping it joined on the other side. Cut all peppers similarly. (Removing the stalk is optional)
2. Roast the gram flour on low flame in a nonstick pan until it gets fragrant. Remove the flour from the pan to a bowl. Add salt, garam masala, dhana-jeera powder, turmeric powder, mango powder, garam masala and one teaspoon oil. Mix well.
3. Stuff the slit peppers with this masala from the open side. Press it gently thereafter to compact.
4. Add oil in a pan/(kadai) on medium-low heat.  Once hot, add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Then, add hing and place the stuffed peppers on the pan and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low flame.
5. Keep tossing and flipping until all sides are cooked. Then, take them out onto a plate.
6. Serve the stuffed peppers with your meal(s) and enjoy!