Bell pepper and Peanut Kairas Recipe

This is a lip smacking dish that I learnt from my friend Purnima Trikannad Udyavar. It goes well as a side dish with Dal and rice or with Chapati too. It’s a mix of tangy, sweet and spice and is extremely flavourful!

Ingredients:

• 3 green capsicums/ Bell peppers
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1 tbsp Chana dal/ Bengal Gram Dal
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1/4th tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 2 tbsps Sesame seeds
• 5 Dry Red chillies
• 3 tbsps grated coconut
• 2 tbsps oil
• Salt
• 2 tbsps Tamarind paste
• 5 tbsps jaggery syrup
• A large pinch of Hing/ Asafoetida
• A large pinch of Haldi/ Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds.

Method:

Chop the Bell pepper into bite sized pieces. Pressure cook the peanuts with a little salt till done. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Roast the Chana Dal, Coriander seeds, Methi and Sesame seeds in that order to a golden brown. Roast the red chillies separately in a drop of oil. Allow to cool. Grind this mixture with the grated coconut to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard and after it crackles add the Hing. Toss. Add the chopped Bell pepper and saute for a few minutes. Add salt and Haldi. Toss.
Add the boiled peanuts to it and cover and cook for a few minutes. Drop in the ground paste, tamarind paste and the jaggery syrup. Mix thoroughly. Add half a glass of water, cover and cook till done.