Coming to capsicum (or bell pepper), it’s an interesting vegetable to cook sabji with. The pepper has a beautiful flavour and holds its shape as it cooks which works really well in this particular recipe where we I added equal amounts of onions and then the besan. I also love adding capsicum to sambar, just FYI. Try it if you haven’t already! I paired this capsicum zunka with steamed white rice, radish sambar, and carrot beans thoran for a lovely Indian vegetarian lunch. You can use any capsicum you have in hand or mix up some colours too. The quantity of besan can also be adjusted to get more of the spongy spiced besan in the dish which is really delicious. Do note that I am not claiming this to be the authentic Maharashtrian Zunka recipe, it’s just the way I make it to our taste and preference. Some more vegetarian side dishes to inspire you: Baby corn masala Sweet and sour moong dal tadka Kathirikai chana pitlai Dahi bhindi masala Chow chow capsicum curry Step by Step Pictures to Prepare Capsicum Besan Sabji Prepare the capsicum and onions by chopping them into small even-sized cubes. This will ensure even cooking of the sabji Heat oil and add black mustard seeds. When they start popping, add urad dal (if using) When the dal turns golden brown, add the onions and curry leaves Saute until the onions turn pink and a bit transparent. There’s no need to brown or fry the onions too much although you can definitely do that if you wish. I went for an overall soft feel to the sabji and didn’t overcook or fry anything too much. Now add the capsicum, mix well, and cook on medium flame for 3-4 mins until it’s half cooked. Top up with salt and spice powders – chilli, coriander, cumin, hing, turmeric, and amchoor (if using). Amchoor is dried and powdered raw mango which lends a lovely sour flavour to any sabji. I love adding a pinch of amchoor to most sabjis but you can definitely skip it or add lime juice instead. Give everything a good mix and let the spice powders cook for a minute or so until roasted and fragrant. Then sprinkle the besan over this and mix again. Add water a tablespoon at a time or just enough to moisten the besan and encourage it to mingle with the rest of the ingredients. Do not add too much water, it will make the sabji too mushy. Cook for 4-5 minutes more or until the besan and capsicum are cooked. Add more salt if needed. Capsicum besan sabji is done! I loved it with rice and sambar but you can also serve this capsicum zunka with rotis and dal. Either ways, a super quick and simple side dish for you to try soon. Let me know if you do try it and share notes in the comments below. For Capsicum Besan sabji recipe in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc, please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
