Capsicum besan bhaji | shimla mirch besan
Capsicum besan with step by step photos. This is a simple yet tasty recipe of a sabzi or bhaji made with Capsicum (green bell peppers or shimla mirch), gram flour (besan), onions, spices and herbs. Serve this savory and mildly spiced dish with a side of roti, chapati or paratha for a comforting meal.
In the Marathi language this recipe is also known as Bhopla mirch chi peeth perun bhaji, where bhopla mirch means capsicum and peeth means flour. In this case, peeth means gram flour. There are many variations of preparing this recipe. Here is how I prepare this bhaji.
This shimla mirch besan recipe is very easy to prepare and gets done within 20 to 25 minutes. So good for those days when you do not have much time for cooking.
It goes well in a tiffin box. As the bhaji has a sweeter taste due to the capsicum and besan, it is liked by kids.
You can pack this shimla mirch besan bhaji with some chapatis or paratha. It also can be served as a side dish with dal-rice or varan-bhaat.
How to make Capsicum Besan Bhaji
1. First rinse, halve, remove the seeds and then chop 2 large capsicums (300 grams) in 1.5 cm cubes or squares.
Also chop 1 medium onion, 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves and 1 to 2 green chillies. Keep aside.
2. Heat a thick bottomed shallow frying pan or kadai. Keep the heat to a low and add ¼ cup besan.
Make sure that the besan is fresh and within its shelf life.
3. Roast the besan on low heat stirring often till it becomes aromatic and changes color.
4. The besan has to be roasted well and should not be raw as we are not going to cook it much further.
5. Roasting besan will take about 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat. Once the besan has got roasted well, remove it to a separate plate.
6. In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil (You can also use sunflower oil). When the oil becomes hot, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds. Lower the heat.
7. When the mustard seeds crackle, add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds. Saute till the cumin seeds also splutter and change color.
8. Next add the following ingredients:
- ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 or 2 chopped green chillies
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
9. Stir well and sauté till the onions turn translucent stirring often.
10. Then add the following:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
11. On a low heat, mix both the spice powders very well ensuring that they do not get burnt.
12. Now add the capsicum cubes. You can use any color capsicum – green, red or yellow.
13. Stir and mix very well with the rest of the ingredients.
14. Add salt as required. Stir and mix again.
15. Pour ¼ cup water and stir.
16. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the capsicum on a low heat.
17. Do check the capsicum a couple of times when its cooking and stir. If the water dries up, you can add more water.
18. The capsicum has to be tender and done. Some water will also be there when the capsicum gets cooked.
19. Then add the roasted besan in batches. First, sprinkle add 1 tablespoon besan all over the capsicum sabzi.
20. Stir and mix very well.
21. This way keep on adding roasted besan in batches and mixing.
22. Mix the besan very well with the capsicum bhaji. If the bhaji looks very dry, then you can sprinkle some water.
You can saute further for 1 to 2 minutes or more if you prefer.
23. Lastly switch off the heat and add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Also, drizzle ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Adding lemon juice is optional.
You can also serve lemon wedges while serving the bhaji, instead of adding lemon juice at this step. I prefer to serve lemon wedges separately while serving the capsicum besan bhaji.
24. Stir and mix very well.
25. Serve capsicum besan hot or warm with some chapatis or paratha or as a side dish with dal-rice or varan-bhaat or with your dinner or lunch. It can also be packed in the lunch box with a side of roti or paratha.
For more capsicum recipes, you can check this link – Capsicum recipes.
If you are looking for more Veggie recipes then do check:
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- ¼ cup besan (gram flour)
- 300 grams green capsicum or 2 large capsicum or 2 heaped cups chopped capsicum (shimla mirch)
- 50 grams onion or 1 medium onion or ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 3 to 4 garlic or 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 or 2 green chilli, chopped
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (you can also use sunflower oil)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves or 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
- salt as required
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves
- ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional), can be sprinkled while serving or added when adding coriander leaves
- if you want you can also add some sugar.
Instructions
preparation
- First rinse, halve, remove the seeds and then chop capsicum in 1.5 cm cubes or squares. Also chop onion, medium garlic cloves and green chillies. Keep aside.
- Heat a thick bottomed shallow frying pan or kadai. Keep the heat to a low and add besan.
- Roast the besan stirring often till it becomes aromatic and changes color.
- The besan has to be roasted well and should not be raw as we are not going to cook it much further.
- Roasting besan will take about 5 to 6 minutes on a low heat.
- Once the besan has got roasted well, remove it in a separate plate.
making capsicum besan
- In the same pan, add peanut oil (can also use sunflower oil). When the oil becomes hot, add mustard seeds. Lower the heat.
- When the mustard seeds crackle, add cumin seeds. Saute till the cumin seeds also splutter and change color.
- Next add chopped onions, chopped garlic, chopped green chillies and curry leaves.
- Stir well and saute till the onions turn translucent stirring often.
- Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and asafoetida (hing).
- On a low heat, mix both the spice powders very well ensuring that they do not get burnt.
- Now add the capsicum cubes. Stir and mix very well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add salt as required. Mix again. Pour water and stir.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook the capsicum on a low heat.
- Do check the capsicum a couple of times when its cooking and stir. If the water dries up, you can add more water.
- The capsicum have to be tender and done. Some water will also be there when the capsicum gets cooked.
- Then add the roasted besan in batches. First sprinkle add 1 tablespoon besan all over the capsicum sabzi. Mix very well.
- This way keep on adding roasted besan in batches and mixing.
- Mix the besan very well. If the bhaji looks very dry, then you can sprinkle some water. You can saute further for 1 to 2 minutes or more if you prefer.
- Lastly switch off the heat and add chopped coriander leaves. Also drizzle lemon juice. Adding lemon juice is optional.
- You can also serve lemon wedges while serving the shimla mirch besan bhaji, instead of adding lemon juice at this step. mix very well.
- Serve capsicum besan hot or warm with some chapati or paratha or as a side dish with dal-rice or varan-bhaat. It can also be packed in the tiffin box.
Nutrition
This Capsicum Besan post from the blog archives first published in September 2016 has been republished and updated on 1 July 2022.
Dassana I am a great fan of your recipes. Tried this dish a few times-always turns out to be perfect!! Love it.
Thanks Hamsa for this lovely feedback on the recipes you have tried, this recipe and the rating. Happy cooking.
Didn’t find out when to add hing in the recipe!
I added during the cumin and mustard seeds adding process. It tasted good though!!
hing can be added when cumin and mustard seeds are added. seems like i forgot the step. i will update in the post. thanks for the feedback.
Came out very tasty. Thanks for the recipe
thanks for this feedback and for the rating too.
Your recipes are always perfect. I follow and refer ur recipes for every new dish I try or make old recipe in better way.
thank you shalini. glad to know. happy cooking.
I tried this receipe it turned out very tasty.
Thanks Roshni. Glad to know this.
Hello,
I prepared this yesterday by following above recipe.. it was really yummy.
Thanks for the recipe.
Welcome Vrujesh. Glad to know this.
Respected mam, I am not sure whether you will read this comment or not. But I want to say you are my teacher my magical teacher in cooking. Your teachings, way of explaining, inclusive recipes which also mentions servings ( which is hard to find in other shared recipes ) and so on. Please never stop cooking and teaching us. Please include every possible and little recipea in ur list. Because before starting any thing I check your site and if I happen to find it, it leaves a satisfactory smile on my face. I have told soo many people about your perfect way of cooking. I am 29 years old, married girl. And you wont understand my happiness with your recipes. I do not learn it for my marriage but for myself. For my satisfaction 🙂
Komal, Thanks a lot for this encouraging and sweet feedback. Glad to know that recipes and their presentation are helping you. I will keep on adding new recipe as i love cooking and experimenting with new recipes and different cuisines of india. thanks for recommending the site to your friends.
Dasana, Long time no see or hear…. 😉 I came here for this Capsicum recipe, which in konkani is called a Jhunkow or Zhunko’. Thank you for pointing out that the besan has to be throughly roasted before it is added to the mixture …. and also that the addtion should be done in small quantities of single layers, and in measured amounts, so as to avoid unnecesssary coagulation or clumping or caking. I omitted the coconut, by oversight, but it was all good. Even your chappati looks delectable in the photograph – I am sorely tempted to invite myself to your home and table … LOL.
My wife, Anjali, loved my Zhunko, and had seconds and thirds, but then she pouted and said, “its not as good as the Zhunko my mother used to make …. !! ” Excuse me, but that was 40 years ago !!?!!
Now can you answer why, our wives feel compelled to compare their hard, persevered, husband’s cooking …. to their imagination of their “mother’s cooking” ???? …. and always depreciating the efforts of their husbands, and always to the disadvantage of the latter ?? This is meant to be a rhetorical question and no answer is necessary. Maybe its because “Women are from Venus, and men are from Mars “:…..
Continued best wishes for your blog and website.
yes girish ji, long time. i am glad that you liked the recipe. its a simple recipe but tasty. capsicum besan sabzi is a variation to zhunka recipe. i still have to add a proper zhunka and pithla recipe. thanks for the best wishes.
hey, how to make sure there are no lumps in the besan? i always end up with balls of besan and it just tastes bad.
sharon, you can mix the besan with some water to a smooth paste and then end.
Dear dassana…the recipe is good…I prepared it today….which veg can b prepared similar way..n I always bake your coconut macaroons…can we add oats to that recipe..
you can make bhindi this way. then even tendli and red or yellow bell peppers can be used. you can add oats in the coconut macaroons recipe.
Thank you for this perfect recipe. It is one of my favorite bhajis that my mom makes. I’m so happy that I can make it now too! I added less than 1/2 tsp sugar, and it turned out perfect. Thank you for another fantastic recipe 🙂
thanks anjali for such a nice feedback. sugar can always be added as per one’s taste. happy cooking ?
Thanks a lot for this recipe. Tried it and loved it. I have downloaded your app – it’s very convenient. I can get to the recipes I need so easily.
welcome nithya. also nice to know that using the app is convenient and easy for you. thanks for the feedback.
tried for 1st tym ….awesome taste… my hubby loved it as well
thanks nehal for positive feedback. glad to know your hubby liked the recipe 🙂
Thanks for the recipe ?
welcome deepthi 🙂
welcome deepthi.
Thanks a lot Dassana ma’am for sharing this recipe…It turned out so yummy….My husband who hated capsicums… now loves it…Thanks a lot again
welcome ajita. good to know this. happy cooking.