Pepe Capsicum - Papaya Capsicum

Sharing tiffin among colleagues exposes you to a variety of culinary creations. When I used to work in school, tiffin-sharing was a regular affair. I picked up an assortment of different recipes during my working days in Bangalore and Kolkata. Remembering those moments of fun at recess still makes my heart grow warm.

The below recipe I have picked up from one of my close friends. She always prefers vegetables simple with minimum or no spices added. In fact, in her preparation, she didn't even add turmeric powder and bodis. So you see you may easily give them a miss. I have cooked it, however, according to my fashion keeping in mind the taste bud of my family.

Ingredients:                                         Cooking time: 30 minutes ü  1 raw papaya (peeled and cut into cubes) ü  1 capsicum (chopped) ü  1/2 tsp nigella seeds or kalo jeera or kalonji ü  1 tsp turmeric powder ü  3-4 green chillies (chopped) ü  Salt to taste ü  2 tsp of sugar ü  8-10 Masoor dal bodi ü  White oil for cooking Method: 1) Heat oil in a pan. Fry the bodis and take them off the flame. 2) Into the same oil, add nigella seeds and allow them to crackle. 3) Next slide in the papaya and shallow fry on medium heat. Add the capsicum and combine.  4) Add turmeric powder and green chillies. Cook covered till papaya softens. (Since papaya takes time to soften, I have parboiled it in microwave for 15 minutes. In case you want to do the same, do that prior to you begin cooking. )  5) Add salt and sugar. Assimilate. Finally, add the bodis before turning the heat off. 6) Serve hot with chapati, roti or rice.