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Shimla mirch aloo
Pepper and potato stir-fry
Shimla mirch aloo: green peppers and potatoes stir-fried with tomato and cumin
Shimla mirch aloo is everyday Punjabi home cooking from both sides of the border, the sabzi that fills a lunchbox paratha or sits next to dal on a weeknight in Rawalpindi. Potato cubes go soft and golden first, then strips of green pepper are tossed in just long enough to soften while keeping a little bite, all held together by a dry tomato-chilli masala. The classic mistake is adding the peppers with the potatoes: they collapse, turn khaki and lose their fresh, slightly bitter flavour. Chef's tip: a pinch of amchur at the end lifts the whole pan without adding any extra liquid.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz potatoespeeled, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 2 green peppersabout 300 g, cut into 2 cm squares
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tomatofinely chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tsp cumin seeds. When it sizzles and darkens slightly, after about 20 seconds, add 14 oz potatoes.
1 minStep 2: Fry the potatoes, turning every couple of minutes, until golden on several sides.
6 minStep 3: Add 1 tomato, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 ½ tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp salt. Stir, cover and cook over a low heat until a potato cube breaks easily when pressed with a spoon.
6 minStep 4: Uncover, turn the heat to medium-high and add 2 green peppers. Stir-fry until they are bright, glossy and just tender but still have a little crunch.
4 minStep 5: Sprinkle over ½ tsp amchur (dried mango powder), toss, taste for salt and scatter with 2 tbsp coriander leaves. Serve with roti or paratha.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shimla mirch aloo take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 17 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of cumin seeds?
- Ground cumin, three quarters of the amount (add it with the other ground spices, not to hot oil first).
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