BELL PEPPER USILI CURRY by Apsara @ Eating Well Diary (a guest post)
I am outside at Angie’s place – hesitant to come inside.
I hear people chatting and laughing. Party goers must have been enjoying the party already.
A friend was standing behind me; she asked me why I won’t come inside. I told her I have not prepared anything. She smiled and said happily ‘Come inside, Jhuls, and we will bring this delicious meal together.’ So yeah, I am again saved by a sweet friend. <3
I am so grateful that even after I have set a deadline after announcing the guest post, I still receive an email from Apsara @ Eating Well Diary.
I know most of you know her already. But in case you don’t, here’s a quick something about her:
SHE DOESN’T COOK OR BAKE WITH EGGS. Oh, sorry about the CAPS. 😀 (I think she’s an egg-hater.) Just kidding, Apsara.
Okay, seriously, Apsara is on a quest to living a healthy lifestyle. As long as possible, she tries her best to use fresh, whole everything (whole grains, whole anything). She also loves recycling (me, too) and minimizing waste (me, too, so you could expect me collecting what my father calls ‘garbage’). 😛
And to give you samples of Apsara being an eggless person, kindly check these Eggless recipes of hers. I would go with the Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread. Well, what can you do, I’m a minion. (Me want banana!)
Okay! Okay! I better stop chatting and bring you Apsara.
I met Jhuls through Fiesta Fridays, our blogger’s party every week. She is just a charming and fun-loving girl, so energetic and spreading joy (and fun videos) through her posts. I know she is a very busy person outside the blog world, and I admire her for maintaining her zeal in co-hosting our FF parties. I especially like her “Introducing New Bloggers” series, through which I have got to connect with many other bloggers. Her “Kitchen Hacks” are so useful, too.
I love your spirit, Jhuls! Keep blogging and spreading your enthusiasm. 🙂
Here’s my guest post, a traditional side dish from Tamil Nadu, the Indian state where I come from. A simple protein-rich curry made usually with a green vegetable and soaked lentils.
BELL PEPPER USILI CURRY Recipe
- Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
- Green bell peppers- 2 medium
- toor dal (split pigeon peas)- 3/4 cup
- chana dal (black gram)- 3/4 cup
- dry red chillies- 1-2
- green chilly- 1
- asafoetida- 1 tsp.
- salt- to taste
- canola oil- 3-5 tbsp.
- black mustard seeds- 1 tsp. for tempering
- cilantro leaves- for garnish
Method:
- Chop bell peppers into small pieces.
- Soak toor dal and chana dal together in water for 1-2 hours. Grind it with chillies, salt and asafoetida. Add only enough amount of water to get the blender going. Take care not to add too much water. We do not want a paste, just coarsely ground lentils with minimal water that will make a dry curry.
- Steam the bell peppers or cook them in a closed pot with some salt, till tender.
- In a wok, take 2-3 tbsp. of oil add mustard seeds. After they sputter, shallow fry the lentil mixture. Add salt and stir often. Ensure that it gets cooked and has a slight brown color. Add more oil when necessary. After the raw smell of lentil has gone, stir in cooked bell peppers.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with plain rice or any rice dish.
I am sure I never had this before, Apsara. Thank you for introducing this dish to me. This looks incredibly good. I am sure the party goers will enjoy this as well.
I am so honored to have you as my guest. Thank you so much. Until next time? 😀
Happy FF #45!
Also sharing this at Sweet & Savoury Sundays. 😉
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Follow Apsara at Eating Well Diary if you haven’t yet.
26 Comments
Millard
I love it when people come together and share ideas.
Great website, keep it up!
Baking In Pyjamas
Looks like a great dish, love the flavours. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!! Laura@Baking in Pyjamas
Sophie
A lovely & very tasty guest post! MMMMMMM! 😀 I always learn a lot from my friend’s recipes! X
Jhuls
Thank you, Sohpie. I am glad you liked this post. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 🙂
Chitra Jagadish
Wow I love usili in any format and this one looks healthy and flavorsome….. thanx for such wonderful recipe…. happy FF Jhuls and Apsara
lapetitepaniere
Beautiful post and recipe 🙂 Happy Fiesta Friday Jhuls and Apsara.
Jhuls
Glad you liked this post, Linda. Have a pleasant week to you. <3
Fae's Twist & Tango
Thank you Jhuls for featureing Apsara!
This is a great healthy recipe. Does usili mean dry? I make what Japanese call dry curry, which is rice mixed with vegetables and spices i.e.curry, cumin, coriander, etc, version of biryani. Here you don’t use any of the spices I mentioned. It is very intriguing dish. 😛
Jhuls
We have to ask Apsara regarding ‘usili’. 😀
The Japanese dry curry version of biryani sounds great, Fae. Have you posted it already on your blog? I’d love to learn about it.
Thank you so much for being here. Have a lovely week ahead.
Fae's Twist & Tango
I have not posted it yet. 🙁
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake
I’m so glad you were able to bring something along to the party after all Jhuls, it wouldn’t be the same without you! And this curry looks absolutely delicious, I’m always in awe of Aspara’s dishes – so yummy, but also good for you!
Thanks for sharing this with us at Fiesta Friday both of you, have a lovely weekend x
apsara
Thank you, MIchelle. So glad you like this traditional Indian dish. Thank you for hosting FF, and you have a lovely weekend too! x
Jhuls
Aww… thank you, Michelle. <3
I am such a scattered brain that I have not written anything for FF (though I have already made something). Glad that I have prepared Apsara's guest post a week ago.
Thanks for co-hosting. I am sure you had fun. 😀 Have a wonderful week ahead.
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Julie is HostessAtHeart
You have featured a beautiful healthy dish. I actually crave these dishes more than all of the sweets.
apsara
Awesome! Even I crave for such sides more than sweets. Happy you like it. 🙂
Jhuls
Glad you loved this dish, Julie. <3 Have a wonderful week ahead. 🙂
Julie is HostessAtHeart
You too Jhuls!
apsara
Thank you so much, Jhuls! Honestly, I did not realize that you had set a deadline; very nice of you to not reject my post. 😉 very glad that it came helpful this friday. Could you correct the typo in my name in the title? Sorry, it is a common mistake that many people make. 🙂
I’m not just an egg-hater, I’m severely allergic to it too. Yes, seriously! Great to know that we share other common interests too. *hugs*
Jhuls
It’s my pleasure, Apsara. I am really glad that you emailed me for the guest post. <3
Oh, allergy? Yay! It's good that I am not allergic to eggs. 😀 I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Selma's Table
Lovely to see you both here! Apsara, another wonderful recipe from you – I love lentil anything!! Jhuls, I hope that all is ok where you are – I’ve been reading the weather reports with growing trepidation and hoping that you are far from the trouble xxx Happy Fiesta Friday to you both x
apsara
So glad you like this, Selma. It’s my comfort food on cold days such as these. Happy FF!
Jhuls
Hi, Selma. Thank you so much for being here – I am great, just the migraine bugging me for days. 🙁 Nonetheless, everything is fine. Have a lovely weekend to you. <3
Melissa @ The Glen House
Fab post… I’m off to read Aspara’s blog!
apsara
thanks, Melissa. I’ll see you in my blog. 🙂
Jhuls
Thank you, Melissa. I hope you are having a good time. 🙂