BELL PEPPER USILI CURRY by Apsara @ Eating Well Diary (a guest post) - The Not So Creative Cook

I am outside at Angie’s place – hesitant to come inside.

I hear people chatting and laughing. Party goers must have been enjoying the party already.

A friend was standing behind me; she asked me why I won’t come inside. I told her I have not prepared anything. She smiled and said happily ‘Come inside, Jhuls, and we will bring this delicious meal together.’ So yeah, I am again saved by a sweet friend. <3

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I am so grateful that even after I have set a deadline after announcing the guest post, I still receive an email from Apsara @ Eating Well Diary.

I know most of you know her already. But in case you don’t, here’s a quick something about her:

SHE DOESN’T COOK OR BAKE WITH EGGS. Oh, sorry about the CAPS. 😀 (I think she’s an egg-hater.) Just kidding, Apsara.

Okay, seriously, Apsara is on a quest to living a healthy lifestyle. As long as possible, she tries her best to use fresh, whole everything (whole grains, whole anything). She also loves recycling (me, too) and minimizing waste (me, too, so you could expect me collecting what my father calls ‘garbage’). 😛

And to give you samples of Apsara being an eggless person, kindly check these Eggless recipes of hers.   I would go with the Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread. Well, what can you do, I’m a minion. (Me want banana!)

Okay! Okay! I better stop chatting and bring you Apsara.

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I met Jhuls through Fiesta Fridays, our blogger’s party every week. She is just a charming and fun-loving girl, so energetic and spreading joy (and fun videos) through her posts. I know she is a very busy person outside the blog world, and I admire her for maintaining her zeal in co-hosting our FF parties. I especially like her “Introducing New Bloggers” series, through which I have got to connect with many other bloggers. Her “Kitchen Hacks” are so useful, too.

I love your spirit, Jhuls! Keep blogging and spreading your enthusiasm. 🙂

Here’s my guest post, a traditional side dish from Tamil Nadu, the Indian state where I come from. A simple protein-rich curry made usually with a green vegetable and soaked lentils.

BELL PEPPER USILI CURRY Recipe

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• Green bell peppers- 2 medium
• toor dal (split pigeon peas)- 3/4 cup
• chana dal (black gram)- 3/4 cup
• dry red chillies- 1-2
• green chilly- 1
• asafoetida- 1 tsp.
• salt- to taste
• canola oil- 3-5 tbsp.
• black mustard seeds- 1 tsp. for tempering
• cilantro leaves- for garnish

Method:

1. Chop bell peppers into small pieces.
2. Soak toor dal and chana dal together in water for 1-2 hours.  Grind it with chillies, salt and asafoetida. Add only enough amount of water to get the blender going. Take care not to add too much water. We do not want a paste, just coarsely ground lentils with minimal water that will make a dry curry. 
3. Steam the bell peppers or cook them in a closed pot with some salt, till tender.
4. In a wok, take 2-3  tbsp. of oil add mustard seeds. After they sputter, shallow fry the lentil mixture. Add salt and stir often. Ensure that it gets cooked and has a slight brown color. Add more oil when necessary. After the raw smell of lentil has gone, stir in cooked bell peppers.
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with plain rice or any rice dish.

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I am sure I never had this before, Apsara. Thank you for introducing this dish to me. This looks incredibly good. I am sure the party goers will enjoy this as well.

I am so honored to have you as my guest. Thank you so much. Until next time? 😀

Happy FF #45!

Also sharing this at Sweet & Savoury Sundays. 😉

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