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Shimla Mirch Besan Sabzi - Paprika-Kichererbsenmehl-Pfanne

Writer's picture: heutemalindischheutemalindisch



Shimla Mirch Besan Sabzi - Bell Pepper Chickpea Flour stir-fry is a simple and quick to prepare spicy dry sabzi(vegetable dish) made with green bell-pepper and besan (chickpea flour). This traditional, quick, tasty and lightly spiced sabzi from Rajasthan requires few ingredients for its preparation, tastes delicious and goes well with both Chapati and rice.


Besan (chickpea flour) is widely used in Rajasthan because traditionally it was very difficult to grow vegetables in desert areas. Besan was thus used along with basic vegetables like onions to create a balanced, healthy meal.


This recipe for Shimla Mirch Besan is very easy to prepare and is ready within 20 to 25 minutes. Suitable for those days when you don't have much time to cook.


Ingredients for Shimla Mirch Besan

Besan: Most known as chickpea flour in the western world, this flour is roasted until it is fragrant and added to the vegetables. The fragrance of this roasted besan is the highlight of this recipe.

Bell pepper: This is the main ingredient of this dry curry. Paprika is rich in antioxidants and can absorb flavors and spices well.

Spice Powders: The most common spice powder of all Indian recipes consisting of turmeric, coriander and red chili is added to this dish.

Apart from these, we also use onions, green chili and garlic for more texture and flavor.


FAQs

Can I add any other flour?

Besan itself is gluten-free. Not only does it absorb the moisture from the bell peppers, but it also acts as a binder to hold your sabzi together in small clumps, making it easy to eat with Chapatis.


Roasted besan is more fragrant and adds more flavor to the sabzi. So, it's better to stick with chickpea flour rather than using another flour.


You can also try adding lentil flour and skip the roasting part since the lentil flour is already roasted.


What other vegetables can I use?

Broccoli, colorful bell-peppers or zucchini go best in this sabzi.


Serviervorschläge

It fits well in a lunch box. Since the sabzi has a sweeter taste due to the bell pepper and besan, it is liked by children.


You can serve this Shimla Mirch Besan Chapati or Lachha Paratha. It can also be served as a side dish with Dal Tadka or Sadi Dal and steamed basmati rice.


Storage suggestions

It is best to eat this sabzi hot to enjoy the aroma of roasted besan. You can also pack it in your lunchbox, heat it up in the microwave at work and enjoy.


Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator and use them the next day. Otherwise, water droplets may fall on the sabzi and make it slimy if it is stored for a long time.


Ingredients

  • ¼ cup besan (chickpea flour).

  • 300g green bell pepper, diced

  • 50g onion

  • 3 to 4 cloves of garlic

  • 1 green chili pepper

  • 2 tbsp peanut oil (you can also use sunflower oil)

  • ½ tsp Rai (black mustard seeds)

  • ½ tsp Jeera (cumin seeds)

  • 1 sprig of curry leaves or 8 to 10 curry leaves

  • 1 pinch of Hing (Asafetida)

  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder

  • ¼ tsp red Kashmiri chili powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • ¼ cup water

  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

  • ½ to 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

Preparation

Wash the bell peppers first, cut in half, remove seeds, and then cut into 1.5cm cubes or squares. Chop onion, medium garlic cloves, green chilies and curry leaves and set aside.

Heat a shallow frying pan or kadai (wok) with a thick bottom. Keep the heat low and add besan.

Roast your besan, stirring frequently, until it becomes aromatic and changes color.

The besan must be well roasted and should not be raw, as we will not cook it much further.

Roasting besan takes about 5 to 6 minutes over low heat.

When the besan is well roasted, transfer it to a separate plate and set aside.

Prepare Shimla Mirch Besan

Add peanut oil (or sunflower oil) to the same pan. When the oil gets hot, add rai (black mustard seeds). Reduce the heat. When the mustard seeds crackle, add jeera (cumin seeds). Fry everything until the cumin seeds also crackle and change color.

Next add chopped onions, chopped garlic and chopped green chilies and curry leaves. Stir well and sauté until onions turn translucent, stirring often.


Then add turmeric powder, red chili powder and Hing (Asafetida). Mix both spice powders very well on low heat, making sure they don't burn.

Now add the bell-pepper cubes. Stir and mix everything very well with the rest of the ingredients.Now add salt. Mix again and then pour water and stir.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook the bell-peppers on low heat.Check the bell-peppers a few times during cooking and stir. The bell-peppers should be tender and cooked. Some water will also be there when the bell-peppers are cooked. If the water dries out, you can add more water.

Then add your roasted besan in batches. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of besan over your bell-peppers sabzi first. Mix very well.

In this way, add the rest of the roasted besan in portions and mix. Mix all very well. If the sabzi looks very dry, you can drizzle some water over it and continue sauteing for 1 to 2 minutes.


Finally, turn off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves and drizzle with lemon juice.

Serve Shimla Mirch Besan with some Chapati or Laccha Paratha or as side dish with Dal Tadka or Sadi Dal and steamed Basmati Rice.



Tips

  • Cut the bell-peppers into 1.5 cm cubes. Don't cut them too big or they will take a long time to cook.

  • You can use bell-peppers of your choice- red, yellow or green.

  • Make sure the besan is fresh and the expiration date hasn't passed yet.

  • Adding besan: Don't add the roasted besan all at once. If you do, you'll end up with big lumps or a huge mass of mess. So take your time to sprinkle in 1 tbsp at a time. Make sure the first tablespoon of flour is thoroughly mixed before adding the rest of the flour.




I look forward to hearing from you...

...if you like my blog, my recipes inspire you and your curiosity for Indian cuisine has been piqued.


Feel free to give me feedback if you would like to share your cooking accomplishments or have a suggestion for improvement. I appreciate any kind feedback. Whether via the comment function, email, Facebook or Instagram (best tagged with #heutemalindisch and @heutemalindisch, then your cooking success can also inspire others).

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