Capsicum Rice Recipe
Simple capsicum rice made by tempering rice with spices, green peas, and capsicum.
Simple capsicum rice made by tempering rice with spices, green peas, and capsicum.
- salt as needed
- 1 green chili slit
- generous pinch of turmeric
- oil as needed
- 2 cups rice (uncooked)
- 1 star anise or biryani flower ((optional))
- 1 leaf or briyani leaf
- 1 stick or dalchini
- 6 cloves or laung
- 1 strand mace or javitri
- 4 green cardamoms or elaichi
- â½ tsp shahi jeera or jeera
- 1 medium to large onion thinly sliced
- â¾ to 1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
- â½ cup green peas or potato (optional)
- 1 cups chopped capsicums
- handful mint or pudina and coriander leaves
- 1 tsps garam masala or biryani masala (adjust as needed)
- â½ tsp red chili powder (skip if included in masal
- 2 tbsp. water
- lemon juice as needed (optional)
- Carbohydrate 89.544 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.7392 g
- Fiber 1.45599994659424 g
- Protein 7.9856 g
- Saturated Fat 0.2016 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (120g)
- Sodium 44.358 mg
- Sugar 88.0880000534058 g
- Trans Fat 0.10864 g
- Calories 409 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash rice and cook till slightly grainy. Cool it.
- While the rice cooks, make the capsicum masala ready.
- Heat oil and fry dry spices till it turns aromatic.
- Add onions and chili fry until the onions turn slightly pink.
- Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.
- Add capsicum, green peas and fry for 3 minutes.
- Add mint, coriander, spice powders and salt.
- Fry for about 2 minutes till the mixture turns aromatic.
- Add the 2 tbsp. water and cook on a low flame till the water evaporates.
- When the rice is cooked , cool it and then add to the capsicum mixture along with lemon rice and salt.
- Mix well. Serve capsicum rice warm with a raita.
Distinguishing from Pulao
Unlike a standard whole-spice pulao where grains simmer directly in broth, this preparation relies on folding cooked grains into a concentrated vegetable masala. Controlling moisture is the single technique that determines success or failure here. Rice must be cooked slightly al dente, spread on a wide tray, and cooled completely before mixing. Hot starches break down under pressure and absorb too much oil, turning the dish into a pasty mass rather than maintaining separate grains.Adapting for Dietary Needs
Bell peppers and green peas welcome numerous ingredient substitutions based on dietary requirements or seasonal availability. Swap green peas for diced firm potatoes or cubed carrots when root vegetables dominate local markets. For a completely oil-free finish, dry-roast the whole spices in a heavy-bottomed cast iron pan until fragrant, then bloom the aromatics in a splash of vegetable broth instead of fat.Balancing Heat and Alliums
Whole spices like star anise, green cardamom, and mace require precise heating in oil to release their fat-soluble compounds without burning. Keep the flame at medium-low when frying the sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste. Raw sulfur compounds in alliums dissipate fully when onions turn translucent and slightly golden around the edges.
