Bell Pepper and Spicy Chili Pepper Pallyas

Spicy Chili Pepper Pallya

Savory Bell Pepper "stuffed" Pallya

Ok, this is embarrassing! I wrote this right after diwali and never finished. So I am publishing the post from then so you can see how I felt 1.5 months ago!

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Happy Belated Diwali everyone!

I am still recovering from last week's Diwali festivities around here. I was too busy to blog about all the parties, sweets and more sweets consumed at my house so I am hoping this and the next couple of posts will make up for it. I don't know about you but this season's holidays and festivals seem to be lining up one after the other and I haven't spent as much time at the gym or working out as I have been eating. Energy output MUST increase or I will turn into a soft mushy ball of a well fed mama! This past week I gorged on Badam Kheer, Badam Puri, Rice Payasam, Rava Kesari, Boondhi Laddus and even pullareddy sweets from Hyderabad.

To make up for the sweet consumption I am sharing a spicy and savory pallya (dry veggie curry dish) dish created for a Diwali party potluck. The spicy version of the pallya utilizes several types of chili peppers (mildly hot, hot and super hot peppers) and the savory pallya uses Red & Orange Bell Peppers. The original recipe I have for this is based a Karnataka dish called "thumsidha" pallya. It means "stuffed" and we typically use small varieties of Bell Peppers or otherwise known as Capsicums for this dish. Smaller varieties of purple and green eggplants can also be used in this dish. Since I did not have the small versions of peppers handy I just used red and orange peppers sliced and chopped into one inch squares.

I took a creative leap of faith and used the Bell Pepper stuffing with hot and spicy chili peppers and I am quite pleased with the end result. So below you will find details on both versions of the recipe.

I got these spicy chili peppers from Costco. What tempted me to get them was their vibrant colors and as you can see below they are beautiful! I took 10 pictures just of the raw chilies and was drooling at the thought of pickling them or frying them up with spices and eating with Moosuruanna (yogurt+rice). Finally it occurred to me to stuff them and pallya-fiy them and that's what happened.

If you are choosing to just do the Bell Pepper version then use 3/4 the amounts listed in the recipe for stuffing. If you choose to just do the Spicy Chili version just use 1/4 the amounts in the listing. My measurements were not completely precise but close.

"Stuffing" Recipe for both Spicy and Savory Pallyas.

• 3 Cups Grated Fresh or Frozen Coconut
• 3 tablespoons Coriander Seeds
• 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
• 10 Dry Red Chilies (I used badege menasu, karnataka chilies)
• Salt to taste (~1 teaspoon or slightly more)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1.5 tablespoons Jaggery or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
  

Grind the above ingredients with enough water to create a nicely blended paste. It should be a fairly brownish-red hue.

Oh, recipe interruption here.. people ask me when I find time to blog with toddler twins and now a part-time job etc.. So here is proof of how I cook during the kid's nap times. I did not want to wake up the children from their naps but I wanted to get the pallya done in time for dinner and of course take blog photos before the sun goes down (now with DST at 4:30 pm!!! :(!!!!). So I carefully moved my blender full of stuffing spices to the back patio and hooked it up to the external power outlet and ran it full speed. Of course, I had to spend time running back and forth into the house as I did not have enough water, the right utensils to mix the paste in between grinding! and to take the photo too!!


So now you know how I do it. :) Back to Recipe.

Bell Pepper Pallya Recipe

• 3/4 of the Stuffing Paste from Above
• 5 to 6 Bell Peppers chopped into 1'' pieces (Iused orange and red, you can use just green or any other combo)
• 3 to 4 small Roma or garden tomatoes chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 to 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
  

Method
Take a large saute or stir-fry pan and put on medium heat. Add oil and toast cumin seeds till they sizzle and add onions to mix. Saute till translucent, then add rest of ingredients to the pan and mix. Turn heat to medium low or low and saute the pallya on this lower heat for a while till all the vegetables are cooked and the stuffing spices are a nice golden brown and the pallya does not have any liquids left. You may have to add a little more oil during the cooking process so the ingredients don't stick to the pan. The key is to cook it in low enough flame that you cook it but not burn the delicate shredded coconut. You know the pallya is done when the stuffing starts to turn brown there is no raw smell from the spices.

Spicy Chili Pepper Pallya Recipe

• 1/4 quantity of stuffing paste from above.
• 2.5 Cups Mixed Fresh Chillies (de-seeded for milder version
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon Urad Dhal
• 1/4 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• 1 to 3 Curry Leaves
• A pinch of hing
• 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

Method:

Slit the chillies and remove the seeds from the chilli pod. If you choose not to do this option, the pallya will be intensely spicy based on the type of chillies you use (fair warning!). Carefully stuff the slit chillies with the stuffing paste as best you can. Heat a pan on medium and add the oil to it. Add the tempering ingredients of cumin seeds, urad dhal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing and let it sizzle. Slowly add the stuffed peppers with any remaining stuffing into the pan. Cook on medium low heat till the chillies are cook, the paste lightly browned and spices don't smell raw. As with the Bell pepper pallya, take care not to burn the delicate stuffing and cook up the chillies in low heat. Serve warm with yogurt-rice or your favorite chappattis.