Extra Spicy Potato Stuffed Hungarian Peppers

** Caution **

This recipe is extra extra spicy. However, you can tone it down by taking the seeds and vein out of peppers after slitting them and adjusting the amount of peppers powder you add to the potatoes.

You can also lessen the heat by using less spicier peppers like Anaheim peppers or small sweet red or yellow peppers.

Also you can try sprinkling some cheese of your choice on peppers after broiling them and just keeping extra minute of so in the oven before serving for the cheese to melt. However I did not add the cheese to these this time.


This recipe yields 12-15 servings depending on how much heat your guests can handle.



Ingredients:


7 medium Potatoes boiled and mashed

15 Hungarian peppers

Salt to sprinkle on peppers

1/3 cup oil (I used olive oil but any cooking oil will do)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon asfetida powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

1 tablespoon Cumin powder

2 tablespoon Coriander powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon garam masala or all spice powder

2 tablespoon mango powder

2 tablespoon lime juice

Salt to taste

1/3 cup water



Method:


* Wash and slit the pepper length wise (be sure to coat your hands with some cooking oil and wear glove before you do this)

* If you wish you can take all the seeds and the vein out of pepper, but I left it intact.

* Sprinkle some salt on to peppers and set them aside while you prepare the potato stuffing.

* Wash, boil, peel and mash potatoes.

* Add salt and all the spice and lemon juice, mix and mash until everything is well incorporated.

* At this point, if you wish, you may saute this mashed potato stuffing in oil with sauteed onion, garlic and ginger paste, but I did not do it this time.

* Stuff each pepper with this potato stuffing.

* Heat oil in a shallow pan.

* When oil is hot, add cumin seeds and when the seeds crackle, add asafetida.

* Add each pepper one by one, side by side in the pan.

* Toss them gently, and single layer them in a baking dish.

* Sprinkle water on top and cover the baking dish with plastic wrap.

* Microwave the peppers for 10-12 min. You will see the plastic wrap bubble up, steam for the water will help cook the peppers to softness.

* Heat the convection oven in the mean time to broil.

* Carefully remove the peppers from Microwave and ever so carefully remove the plastic wrap. (Caution: the plastic wrap is full of steam so be very careful not to get burned by hot steam)

* Broil the peppers in convection oven for 2-4 min to desired appearance, make sure they don't get charred.

* If you like you can sprinkle some cheese over peppers before last minute of broiling.

* A very spicy dish is ready to be served as side dish.


Enjoy !!



Recipe and Photographs by Surekha.