Pakistani Stuffed Bell Peppers (Bharwan Shimla Mirch)

About This Recipe

Bharwan shimla mirch is a vegetarian stuffed pepper found in Pakistani and North Indian home kitchens, built around a spiced mashed potato and pea filling rather than rice or meat, which keeps the dish light and quick to prepare on a weeknight. The peppers are lightly hollowed, filled generously, and either shallow-fried in a pan or baked until the skins blister and soften. The filling itself is essentially a dry aloo sabzi: boiled potatoes mashed coarsely and cooked with cumin seeds, onion, ginger, and a blend of coriander, turmeric and amchur (dried mango powder) for tang. Amchur is the ingredient that sets this filling apart from a plain potato curry, giving it a bright sourness that cuts through the richness of the oil and balances the sweetness of the cooked peppers. Served with roti or as a side to dal and rice, stuffed peppers are the kind of dish Pakistani cooks make when they want something colorful and vegetable-forward without much fuss, and the leftover filling alone is good enough to eat on its own with flatbread.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 6bell peppers(small to medium, tops cut and cored)
• 4russet potatoes(boiled and peeled)
• 0.5 cupfrozen peas
• 3 tbspoil(divided)
• 1 tspcumin seeds
• 1small onion(finely chopped)
• 1 tspginger(grated)
• 1green chile(minced)
• 1 tspground coriander
• 0.5 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspamchur (dried mango powder)
• 0.5 tspred chile powder
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 2 tbspcilantro(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the peppers

   Cut the tops off the peppers and scoop out the seeds and ribs, keeping the peppers whole. Set aside.

2. 2

   Cook the filling base

   Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle, then add onion and cook until soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Add aromatics and spices

   Stir in ginger and green chile, then coriander, turmeric, amchur and chile powder. Cook the spices for 30 seconds until fragrant.

4. 4

   Mash in the potatoes

   Crumble the boiled potatoes into the pan by hand for a coarse texture, add peas and salt, and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until everything is evenly coated and slightly golden in spots.

   Crumbling the potatoes with your hands rather than mashing smooth keeps the filling from turning gluey.

5. 5

   Stuff the peppers

   Stir in cilantro, then pack the potato filling firmly into each pepper, mounding slightly at the top.

6. 6

   Cook the peppers

   Heat remaining oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Stand the peppers upright, cover, and cook 15 to 18 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pepper skins blister and soften.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve hot with roti or steamed rice and a side of yogurt.

Variations

• •

  Baked version: arrange stuffed peppers in a baking dish, drizzle with oil, and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes.

• •

  Add paneer: fold in half a cup of crumbled paneer with the potatoes for extra protein and richness.

• •

  Keema-stuffed: replace half the potato with cooked spiced ground beef or lamb keema for a non-vegetarian version.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked stuffed peppers up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a covered skillet over low heat or in a 350°F oven until warmed through; microwaving can make the pepper skins go soft and watery.

Frequently Asked Questions