Capsicum sabzi with besan

This is a very dry sabzi  that can be made very quickly.And hence apt for dabbas to office, college, travel etal .It is very tasty as well ! This sabzi type is called pheet pherun bhaaji in Marathi  ( pheet meaning  atta ,pherun meaning mixed & bhaji meaning sabzi ).

Ingredients : 2 medium sized capsicums -finely chopped, 1 medium sized onion finely chopped, 1 tbsp besan,1 tbsp oil,1tsp jeera , 1/2 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder,salt to taste.

Method : Dry roast the besan in kadhai without any oil till it slightly changes colour. Keep aside by taking out the besan in a plate.

In the kadhai ,put oil & warm it on gas.Put jeera into the oil.When jeera pops up,add hing & haldi.Then add chopped onions & saute till the onions  turn transluscent.Now add chopped capsicum & saute .Cover kadhai with a lid Let it cook for five minutes .Add salt & mix well.Let it cook covered with lid for a minute.Next add red chilli powder & mix.Let it cook for another minute.Now add the besan & mix.Let it cook for 1-2 minutes covered with a lid.

To add tanginess,a slice of lemon can be squeezed & mixed with the sabzi.

Then put off the gas.The sabzi is ready.Serve with chapatis.This sabzi can be made by using finely chopped bhindis or even finely chopped spring onion shoots in place of capsicum.

I can eat this sabzi just like that -I don't even need rotis !

Mango peach salsa with a twist.

I came across this easy salsa @ http://anjali-cooklog.blogspot.in/2012/05/desi-chatpata-mango-salsa.html

As I had some peaches & mangoes at home,I decided to make my own version of  salsa inspired by the desi salsa of Anjali.

Ingredients : 1 small ripe mango ( I had Neelam mango -any sweet mango can be used ),1 peach,1 tomato ,2-3 spring onion bulbs ( since I had them -I used them -ordinary onions can also be used ),1/4 tsp pepper powder,1/4tsp jeera powder, 1 tbsp thin sev ( used to garnish bhel puri,sev puri etc ),salt  to taste.

Method :Peel the mango & peach.For peach ,put the peach in lukewarm water & let it remain in water for 10 minutes.This will help in peeling peach.

Cut the mango ,peach,tomato & onions into 1/2 inch pieces.Mix all the cut veggies.Sprinkle pepper & jeera powder.Add salt to taste & mix all together.Now garnish with sev & serve.

It tasted awesome ! I added lots of sev after I had taken this snap & devoured it ! I did not have any chips or papad handy to accompany the salsa.Hence, added sev generously & gobbled it up !

Tips : One can add boiled potatoes,boiled mung or chana as well.One can add cucumbers, radishes,carrots also.One can add red chilli powder or chilli flakes ,oregano etc.It was tangy enough for me -the peach being on the sour side.Mango provided the sweetness,pepper provided pungent flavours.Even lemon juice  can be added to make it more  tangy.Honey can be added for extra sweetness.The options are unlimited !

This is very healthy & full of fibre.What more can I ask for ? !