Stuffed Pepper Shaak

In honor of my mom’s birthday week, I am excited to share one of our “mother-daughter” recipe creations: stuffed pepper nu shaak! With COVID cases on the rise, limiting grocery runs forced us to get creative with whatever ingredients we had on-hand and create this recipe. An explosion of flavors come through this colorful shaak making this a perfect addition to any traditional Gujarati tali meal.
Feel free to share questions or comments below. We love to see renditions – try this recipe and tag @CleanCulinaryCanvas on social media!
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Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Servings 6 people
Menu Entré
Diet Jain, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs mini sweet peppers
  • 2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 8-10 curry leaves (neem leaves), chopped
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • ½ cup water
  • Lemon wedges to serve (optional)

For the pepper stuffing

  • 3 cups coriander,finely chopped
  • 2 cups fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 cup coriander-cumin powder (dhanajeera powder)
  • ¾ cup gram flour (besan)
  • 2 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasthuri methi) (optional)
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder (hardal powder)
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar

Instructions
 

  • Slit open each mini sweet pepper towards the stem to stuff.  Carefully remove seeds.  (It is okay if a few seeds are missed.)
  • Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat.  Dry roast gram flour (besan) until it begin to give off a light aroma and turn slightly pink.
  • In a large bowl, combine coriander, parsley, coriander-cumin powder (dhana jeera powder), dried fenugreek leaves (kasthuri methi)*, gram flour (besan), turmeric powder (hardal powder), chili powder, garam masala, salt, and sugar.  Some stuffing will be leftover and used later in this recipe.
    *(Note: dried fenugreek leaves (kasthuri methi) is optional)
  • Carefully stuff each pepper with stuffing.  Pack pepper with as much stuffing as possible.
  • Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds.  When seeds begin to crackle and pop, add curry leaves (neem), dried chilies, and asafoetida (hing).  Continue to heat and gently stir for ~1 minute.
  • Carefully place all stuffed pepper into the pan.  Heat for 3-5 minutes, gently toss, add water, cover, and heat for another 5-7 minutes.   Add all remaining stuffing and continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes, gently tossing until all peppers are fully cooked.
  • Transfer stuffed pepper nu shaak into a serving bowl. This dish looks great within copper serving wear as shown. This may be served with lemon wedges, naan, daal, and rice.
Keyword jain, vegan, vegetarian