Phodni Mirchi / Capsicums in a spicy sesame paste

I am almost at the end of my holidays, actually the end of my son's school holidays, since all our travel plans revolve around that. Once his school starts, its back to the grind again and I start counting days to the next break.
We have been eating out at restaurants and been invited to so many lunches, plus Ma has been making all her specialties at home. Its been a treat and unfortunately, really showing up.
Got to get back home and hop back onto that dreaded treadmill !



Phodni(Foe-d-nee) Mirchi is a Maharashtrian dish which is usually made with green chillies, but Ma has always made it with capsicums instead, since we never ate very spicy food at home. 'Phodni' ~ tadka or tempering and 'mirchi' ~ chillies. This has a zingy spicy taste, almost like a pickle and goes well with a simple dal and some hot rice

It can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator

Phodni Mirchi

What you need -

4 green capsicums
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
juice of half a lemon
1.5 tbsp oil
1/2 salt

To roast and grind-
3-4 green chillies
1.5 tbsp sesame seeds / brown til (white til can also be used, but not the 'nylon' variety)
8-10 fenugreek / methi seeds
a pinch of asafoetida / hing

What you do with it -

Wash and dry the capsicums and green chillies
Chop the green chillies into big pieces and the capsicums into small pieces. Set aside
In a pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add the capsicums and the turmeric powder and roast well
The capsicums should retain a slight crunch, so don't cover the pan
Once done, transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool
In the same pan, add half tbsp oil and roast the green chillies, methi seeds, sesame seeds and hing
The sesame seeds tend to splutter a lot, so be careful while roasting this
Powder this in a blender, without any water
Add it to the cooled capsicum, with the salt
Sprinkle the lemon juice over it and serve with rice and dal