Peanut-Capsicum Kurma

Capsicum always suits well in curries for chapathis. This recipe is from one of my favorite blogs, where in almost all the dishes I have tried have turned out good. 

Generally we use cashews to get the thickness in North Indian gravies. But this recipe uses peanuts! This gives a very unique taste and also a nutty taste in every bite. It turned out very tasty. And the second time I made, I added some panner cubes(not in the picture) as per my daughter’s wish. Even that tasted very good in the gravy. Do try! 

Ingredients

Capsicum - 1 red and 1 green - cubed

Tomatoes - 2 large pureed(see notes)

Paneer cubes(optional - not in the original)

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp(notes)

Chili powder - 2 tsp(I used 1/2 tsp - very mild)

Turmeric - 1 tsp 

Salt

Sugar - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Butter - 2 tbsp

Jeera 

To grind

Peanuts - 3 tbsp

Ginger - 1 inch

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Onion - 1 large chopped

Method

In a deep pan, add some oil. Sauté cubed bell peppers, till they are cooked and crunchy. Keep them aside. 

Add some more oil. Add some peanuts, roast for a while. Add roughly chopped ginger, garlic and onion. I added chopped tomatoes too. Sauté till everything is cooked - onions are translucent, tomatoes become mushy. Let it cool. Grind to a fine paste.

Add some more oil in the pan. Add cumin. Let it sizzle. Add the ground mixture. Cook in low flame till oil separates. Add coriander, chili, turmeric, garam masala powder(notes), salt and sugar. Sauté for a min. Add tomato puree(if adding later and not while grinding) and cook till oil separates. Add some water and bring it to gravy consistency. Cover and cook in low flame. Add fried capsicum pieces. Add pan-fried panner(if adding any). Cover and cook for couple more minutes. Add butter, lemon juice, coriander leaves and switch off the same.  Serve with chapathi/fried rice. 

Recipe Source - “http://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2013/12/capsicum-kurma-korma-bell-pepper-kurma.html”

Notes - 

• Kids generally push aside big pieces of vegetables and eat only paneer and gravy. So instead of cubing bell peppers(or any vegetable), cut them into small pieces. This way kids cannot avoid it :D
• I added tomatoes while sautéing ‘to grind’ ingredients, instead of adding them later.
• If I don’t have coriander powder, either I add more garam masala, or I add little kitchen king masala. Kitchen king masala, actually enhances the flavor.