Aloo Simla Mirch
A simple dry vegetable preparation of tender potatoes and lightly cooked bell peppers. The dish is mild, savoury, and lets the natural sweetness of the peppers shine through.
Ingredients
Method
- Warm 3 tablespoon cooking fat in a heavy-based pan set over low heat.
- Add 2400 g potato, season with salt to taste, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for roughly 15 minutes until tender, splashing in a tablespoon of water if the potatoes begin to catch or brown excessively.
- Remove the lid, introduce 4 peppers, and simmer gently for another 2 to 3 minutes. Toss together carefully before taking off the heat.
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Ghee or oilUse the same weight. Keeps the mixed-fat effect; ghee gives more flavour, oil a cleaner taste.
Vegetable oilUse the same weight. Neutral and practical; the dish loses some richness and aroma.
Ghee or butterUse the same weight. Richer and more flavourful, but browns faster, so lower the heat slightly.
EggplantUse equal weight. Cut into large chunks; cooks down much faster (10-12 minutes) and softens into the sauce rather than staying starchy and firm.
PaneerUse 80% of the weight. Cube and add in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking; adds rich dairy protein instead of starchy bulk.
Dried chickpeaUse 45% dry weight. Soak overnight and boil until fully soft before stirring into the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.
Bell pepperUse the same weight, deseeded and diced; colour may change but flavour is similar.
Red bell pepperUse the same weight; sweeter and more colourful.
Yellow bell pepperUse the same weight; milder and sweeter.
Similar dishes
- Same: Tandoori Shimla Mirch shares green bell peppers and potatoes as its main ingredients with this dish.
- Different: Tandoori Shimla Mirch stuffs the peppers with a crushed spiced potato filling and grills them, using vegetable oil rather than ghee or butter and adding asafoetida, cumin, bird's-eye chilli, coriander, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, dried mango powder and coriander leaf, while this dish is a simple dry sauté of cubed potato and pepper with only salt.
- Same: Aloo Posto shares a base of tender potatoes seasoned with salt.
- Different: Instead of bell peppers, Aloo Posto fries the potatoes in vegetable oil with a thick paste of ground poppy seeds and dried red chillies.
- Same: Both dishes feature potatoes as their primary ingredient seasoned with salt.
- Different: Soya-Sarasonwala Daliya Bharta is a soft mash cooked with butter, milk, onions, dill, and wholegrain mustard, while this dish is a dry preparation made with bell peppers and no dairy.
- Same: Both are dry potato dishes seasoned with salt.
- Different: Aloo ke Gutake omits the bell peppers and fries the potatoes in mustard oil tempered with cumin seeds, dried red chilli, and ground turmeric.