Capsicum Usili
Tamil Iyengar Brahmin signature usili — yellow moong dal soaked, ground coarsely with red chili and fennel, then steamed and crumbled. Sauteed with diced capsicum and mustard-curry leaf tempering. A protein-rich dry side served with rice + sambar in Iyengar/Tamil meals.
Ingredients
Main
- Fennel Seeds — 1 tsp (whole)
- yellow moong dal — 1 cup (soaked)
- salt (optional) (whole)
- green bell pepper — 2 piece (chopped)
Tempering
- Asafoetida — 1 pinch (ground)
- dry red chillies — 2 piece (whole)
- white urad dal — 0.5 tsp (whole)
- Curry Leaves — 1 piece (ground)
- Mustard Seeds (Black) — 1 tsp (whole)
Method
- To begin making Capsicum Usili, wash and soak the split yellow moong dal for about an hour.
- Drain the soaked moong dal and grind it coarsely in a mixer with a little salt, without adding much water, to get a crumbly mixture.
- Steam the ground moong dal mixture in a steamer or idli pot for about 8-10 minutes until it is cooked through. Once cooled, crumble it with your hands or a fork into small granules.
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, fennel seeds, dry red chillies and asafoetida, and let them crackle. Add curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
- Add the chopped capsicum and salt, and saute on medium heat for 6-7 minutes until the capsicum turns soft and slightly cooked.
- Add the crumbled steamed moong dal to the sauteed capsicum and mix well, breaking any lumps. Simmer for another 5 minutes until the capsicum and moong dal are well combined, then switch off the heat.
Common questions
- How many calories in one plate of Capsicum Usili?
- 66 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 35 min — 15 min prep, 20 min cooking.