Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi – Capsicum Sabzi

A simple, quick, and easy Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi is absolutely heavenly. This dry sabzi is made with green bell peppers, roasted chickpea flour, and some basic spices. It is a perfect addition to your everyday meals and can be served as a side dish along with rice or roti. 

On busy weekdays besan shimla mirch sabzi can be made in under 30 minutes. This sabzi tastes so flavorful with some basic spices like mustard, asafoetida, turmeric, and red chili powder. Once the capsicum is cooked, you may feel it has released some water. Sprinkling some besan helps absorb the juices and keep it dry but moist. 

It is a Maharshtrian capsicum besan stir fry also known as dhobali mirchichi peeth perun bhaji. In the Marathi language “Peeth Perun” means by sprinkling besan over the cooked capsicum. Different varieties of sabzis like onions, spring onions, and snake gourd are made by using this method in Maharashtra.

Besan or chickpea flour is the star of this sabzi. Besan gives an amazing taste to the shimla mirch sabzi. You can add store bought besan directly in the sabzi but adding roasted besan elevates the taste. Roasted besan gives some nutty flavors to the sabzi and does not stick to your mouth while eating. 

Roasting the besan on medium low heat is the key to making the shimla mirch sabzi taste amazing. Adding more or less besan totally depends on your liking. Make sure to add a sufficient amount so all the capsicum pieces are almost coated with some flour. 

The besan shimla mirch sabzi is a gluten free and vegan friendly dish to include in your diet. Enjoy this sabzi as a side dish along with some salad, dal, rice, and roti to make it a wholesome vegan meal. 

Ingredients 

• Green bell peppers
• Cilantro
• Besan
• Kashmiri red chili powder 
• Red chili powder
• Turmeric
• Asafoetida
• Mustard seeds
• Salt
• Sugar
• Oil

Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi Step By Step Recipe

Roasting The Besan

In a pan, add the besan, and keep roasting it on medium low heat stirring frequently. 

Keep roasting the besan for about 7-8 minutes or until it releases aroma and turns light pink in color. Keep it aside. 

Making The Sabzi

Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. 

Lower the temperature and add all the spices like asafoetida, turmeric, chili powder, and salt. 

Transfer the green bell peppers, mix, and cover the pan with a lid on medium low heat. 

Let the peppers cook for about 5 minutes. Open the lid, stir it, and put the lid back on the pan. Let the peppers cook for about 5-7 minutes until they turn soft and release the juices. 

Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of besan and mix well. Now transfer the rest of the besan in the sabzi, mix well, and cover the pan with a lid. 

Let the besan cook for about 5 minutes, add some sugar, cilantro, and mix well. 

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for another 3-4 minutes and serve. 

Tips For Making Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi

• Do not add very less oil in this sabzi or it will be a little dry to swallow. 

• Cut the Green bell peppers into medium equal sized pieces.
• Cook the bell peppers until soft and release the moisture from them. 

• Roast the besan on medium low heat until fragrant and it changes the color to light pink. 
• Sprinkle the roasted besan little at a time. Do not add all the roasted flour at once or it will end up into a large and dry lump. 

Variations

• You can add some onions in the sabzi if you wish. 
• Skip adding Kashmiri red chili powder and simply add 1 tsp red chili powder in the besan shimla mirch sabzi. 
• Roast the besan in a microwave safe dish for 3 minutes. Make sure to stir it in every 1 minute interval.
• If you feel the capsicum did not release much moisture, you can sprinkle some water and then add some roasted besan in batches. 

How To Store Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi?

Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi tastes amazing when served fresh. You can store it into an airtight container for not more than 4 days.

Sprinkle some water on the top before reheating the sabzi in the microwave safe bowl or in a pan on the stove top. 

How To Serve Besan Shimla Mirch Sabzi?

• Besan shimla mirch can be served with some roti or jowar bhakri. 
• Simply serve it as a side dish along with some dal fry, green split dal, Maharashtrian kadhi, or palak patal bhaji with some plain rice. 
• Serve it as a side dish with some dal, koshimbir, rice, and roti as a wholesome meal.

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