Courgette and Green Pepper 'sabzi' (Tori Aur Hari Mirch Ki Sabzi

tigerduck's Note:

A nice side dish to Indian meals. The green pepper goes really well with the courgettes. You may think that a pepper of another colour would look nicer, but as I said, the two green vegetables work well together. I've made this twice so far and will make it again. You will get the asafetida from Indian stores, but I left it out when I cooked this the first time and it still turned out lovely. Recipe source is Maduhur Jaffrey's wonderful 'The Ultimate Curry Bible'.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 3

• 3 tablespoons olive oil or 3 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 pinch ground asafetida powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/4 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
• 1 1/4 lbs courgettes (560g, peeled and cut into 4-cm or 1 1/2-inch long and 1-cm /1/2-inch thick fingers)
• 1 large green pepper, about 7 oz (200g)
• 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or a bit more)
• 1/2 teaspoon chat masala (or 1 pinch of cayenne pepper and 1 tablespoon lemon juice)

Directions:

1. Pour the oil into a large pan or wok and set over a medium-high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, put in first the asafetida and then, in quick succession, the cumin and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, add the courgette and the green pepper. Stir and fry for five minutes.
3. Add the yoghurt, and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed (It will curdle, but the dish will look nice at the end).
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the coriander and salt. Sir for a minute.
5. Add the chaat masala and toss. Taste for balance of flavours.

Reviews

[Nose]

Tasty. Thanks for the note about the bell pepper - the cooking time is really right for a green one, so I'm glad I used it.

[Sharon123]

I loved the Indian flavors in this dish! It was easy to make. I didn't have yogurt, so used sour cream. Left out the asafetida powder(don't have), and used the cayenne and lemon juice. Thank you tigerduck, this was different and delicious!