Stuffed bell peppers had been on my to-cook list for quite some time and finally got some small capsicums and made these for dinner tonight. A perfect vegetarian meal that is incredibly filling and yummy. Bharwan shimla mirch or stuffed capsicum recipe is created with a mixture of mashed potato, crumbled paneer, onions, red bell pepper and flavored with spices. These bell peppers are loaded with goodness of protein, veggies and yummy ingredients creating a balanced meal for everyone.
Below I have shown two methods to prepare these stuffed bell peppers. One is the baked version and other one is the pan cooked one. I personally like to stuff whole bell peppers with the stuffing I prepared, but if you prefer smaller portions than I would recommend cut bell peppers in half, stuff them and serve open faced garnished with some crumbled paneer.
MY MOM’S QUICK TIP – As kids, we used to eat the stuffing and discard the pepper skin because it tasted so bland. So my mom started to sprinkle the inside of the empty capsicum with salt before stuffing. After de-seeding the bell peppers, sprinkle some salt on the inside and microwave for 2-3 minutes. This will reduce the cooking time in half and while eating stuffed capsicum skin will not taste bland (salt will take care of that part).
A perfect recipe for busy nights – while your dal is cooking try this quick and easy to throw together recipe. Meal will be ready and out on the table in an hour.
Bharwan shimla mirch or Stuffed Capsicum recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 5 medium Capsicum or Bell peppers
- 3 medium Boiled and mashed potatoes
- 1 small Red capsicum, chopped
- 1 cup Crumbled Paneer or Tofu
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon Chopped Cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon Haldi (Turmeric powder)
- 3/4 teaspoon Red chili powder
- 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (sukha dhaniya)
- 1 teaspoon Roasted cumin seeds (powdered)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon Oil (to make masala)
- 1 tablespoon Oil (to cook capsicum)
INSTRUCTIONS
PREPARING STUFFING
- Let's begin with the stuffing. Assemble: all the ingredients.
- Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions, red capsicum and saute for 2 minutes until tender. Add crumbled paneer and mix.
- Add in mashed potatoes and all the spices one by one. and mix until well blended.
- Add chopped cilantro leaves..
- And give it a final stir. Adjust seasonings.
- Allow it to cool down completely before stuffing.
CUTTING CAPSICUM
- Wash and clean capsicum.
- Take one capsicum..
- Using a sharp knife cut the top off...
- Remove the top.
- Run a knife all around the capsicum and cut its inner part.
- Remove and discard.
- Hollow capsicum is ready to be stuffed. Sprinkle some salt on the inside and microwave it for 2-3 minutes. It will reduce the cooking time in half.
STUFFING CAPSICUM
- Spoon by spoon fill capsicum with the potato mixture.
- Stuff them tightly.
- If you choose to bake then cut them in half. Preheat oven @350 degree F.
- Place them on a baking tray...
- I am baking mine in an OTG oven.
- When cooked from one side, turn them upside down and cook for 20 -30 minutes. For me the cooking time was 27 minutes in my OTG oven.
- Perfectly toasted stuffed capsicum.
- Garnish with some shredded paneer and serve hot. These warm up easily the next day in microwave or OTG oven.
PAN COOKED STUFFED CAPSICUM
- If you choose to do the traditional method, then heat oil in a non stick pan/kadhai.
- Add stuffed capsicum..
- Cover and cook until tender.
- Keep turning and changing its position side wise and upside down until fully tender.
- Fully cooked and tender stuffed capsicum. For me total cook time was 38 minutes.
- Garnish with some shredded paneer and serve hot.
- They can be eaten as is or with yellow dal and warm rotis.
Make it and it is very yummy.
Thanks for your feedback Aseem! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this meal. 🙂
Lovely blog!! Your recipes and the way you write your recipes is completely awesome. I have not tried this stuffed shimla mirch yet and never in the oven but after going through your post I am ready to try this on coming weekend.
Thanks for your feedback Mamta! Do give it a try and I am sure you are going to love it. 🙂
Thank you for a great recipe. Made the OTG way, grilled it and its lovely. The skin was totally cooked and the potato mixture was grilled and crispy too. Thanks for sharing. Post a recipe of bharwan shimla mirch in gravy. Would love to make your version.
Thanks for sharing your experience with me Pinku! Glad to hear that you liked the recipe. Have penned down your request and will surely look into this. 🙂
After reading your About Us section.. I was amazed that this site existed for 16 years. Were was I ? Well now I have found you..lucky me.. First of All I love your recipe steps, they are a blessing. Bharwan shimla mirch wow..the name sounds so complicated. But I decided to go ahead with it and tried it. It was YUMMY!! My hubby and my in-laws couldn’t stop talking about shimla mirch. thanks Ruchi, I admire you and will try out more of your recipes.
THANK YOU Shipra for such a wonderful feedback. It really made my day!! Glad to hear that you liked this recipe. Keep checking back for more. 🙂
nice
Thanks Zainab. 🙂
I have microwave can we use the grill option to bake it? I am not sure whether it has convection mode or not.. But certainly it has the grill option.. I have morphy richards microwave..
Thanks for stopping by Nidhi. I think you can use the grill option. Please refer to the microwave instruction manual for more details.
Very nice recipe of Stuffed Capsicum. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure. 😊
Very tasty and healthy snack.
Thank you!