Baked Stuffed Peppers

Winter is here. Cold weather, rains, gloomy evening – we were looking for a healthy and quick way of making mirchi bajji (a spicy Indian deep fried snack), which is kid friendly and not deep fried. I came up with the idea to stuff the sweet peppers with our favorites – paneer and potato and bake them. The stuffing was not very spicy, to make it chatpata (for the spice lovers) – topped with generous pinch of chaat masala – red chili powder mix and a drizzle of lemon juice. Other toppings like grated carrots, finely chopped onions and coriander leaves gave more texture to the stuffed peppers. Perfect to serve these crunchy stuffed peppers with chai or as an appetizer.

Ingredients

sweet mini peppers or jalapenos 10-12
grated paneer 1 cup
small potatoes 3 – 4, boiled and mashed
crushed roasted peanuts 2 tbsp
grated ginger 1 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
red chili flakes 1 tsp
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
oil 3 tsp
onion 1 medium, finely chopped
grated carrot 1/2 cup
finely chopped coriander leaves 2 tbsp
masala mix (chaat masala 1 tsp + red chili powder 1 tsp)

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.

For the stuffing
Mix 1 cup grated paneer, mashed potatoes, 1 tsp grated ginger, ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp red chili flakes, lemon juice and salt to taste till it is combined well.

Assembling and Baking
Slit the sweet peppers/jalapeno lengthwise.
Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds (optional step).
Take generous amount of the stuffing mixture and stuff it into the peppers.
Line the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet.
Brush it with some oil and bake it for 15 mins for crunchy stuffed peppers.
Note: can bake another 2-3 mins extra if you like the soft version of the peppers.

Serving
Line the baked peppers in a plate and drizzle some lemon juice, sprinkle masala mix (can add an extra pinch if you like it spicy), sprinkle some crushed peanuts, grated carrots, finely chopped onions, coriander leaves and enjoy!

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