Bell Pepper Rice / Capsicum Rice With Vegetable Rice Powder

Bell pepper Rice or Capsicum rice is something that can be cooked when having friends over or as a quick lunch box recipe. This rice powder is very versatile and can be used with any vegetable and rice.

Navarathri was a wonderful time and today being the last day of it, we are feeling a little down. This year I had the pleasure to make several new friends during the occasion.

Bell pepper or capsicum rice was something that I had cooked during one of the nights, when I had friends over for Golu. This recipe is made with a homemade masala powder that was passed down to me through my cousin’s wife’s mother.

I have this recipe in my recipe notebook forever and I always have a batch of this powder made in the pantry. This week I got a chance to take pictures of it and I am posting it for this week’s cooking from a cookbook challenge.

This rice powder is very versatile and can be used with any vegetable and rice. I happened to have lot of harvested bell pepper in hand; hence I made it with bell pepper.

I usually also add onions when making this rice, but since I made it for navarathri, I skipped the use of onions. The masala powder stays very well in the pantry and comes in very handy to make for lunch boxes.

Preparation time – 20 mins
Cooking time – 40 mins for the masala powder and about 40 mins to make the rice
Difficulty level – easy

Ingredients to make Bell Pepper Rice –

For the Vegetable rice powder – (makes about 500 gms of powder)

• Kadalai paruppu / Channa dal – 1 cup
• Ullatham paruppu / Urad dal – 1 cup
• Dhania / whole coriander seeds – 1 cup
• Cloves – 12
• Cinnamon – 4 sticks
• Red chilies – 25 (makes medium spicy)
• Desiccated coconut – ½ cup

For the Capsicum Rice – (serves 4-6)

• Rice – 1 cup
• Bell pepper/capsicum – 2 cups (chopped)
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Kadalai paruppu /channa dal – 2 tsp
• Cashew pieces – few
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Asafetida – ¼ tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Vegetable rice powder – 4 to 5 tbsp
• Salt – to taste

Procedure to make Capsicum Rice –

To make the Vegetable rice powder -

• Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned above separately until golden brown and aromatic. (I am missing the cinnamon in the picture).

• Let it cool down to room temperature and then grind it into a coarse powder.

• Store in an airtight container.

To make the Capsicum Rice –

• Cook the rice and cool it in a wide pan.

• In a large pan, add the oil and season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, kadalai paruppu, asafetida, curry leaves, and cashew.

• Now add the chopped bell pepper pieces and cook it until it is almost done. Do not overcook the vegetable. Make sure it still has a crunch to it.

• Now add the salt and vegetable rice powder. Mix well.

• Add this to the cooled rice and mix well. Add some oil or ghee when mixing (optional).

• Serve with raita and chips!

• I served it with some Aviyal!

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter

Bell Pepper Rice With Homemade Vegetable Rice Powder

Bell pepper Rice or Capsicum rice is something that can be cooked when having friends over or as a quick lunch box recipe. This rice powder is very versatile and can be used with any vegetable and rice.

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Lunch Box Recipes, Lunch Recipes

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian, Tamil Nadu

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings: 6 People

Calories: 465kcal

Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

• ▢
  Blender

Ingredients

FOR THE VEGETABLE RICE POWDER – (MAKES ABOUT 500 GMS OF POWDER)

• ▢ 1 cup Kadalai paruppu / Channa dal
• ▢ 1 cup Ullatham paruppu / Urad dal
• ▢ 1 cup Dhania / whole coriander seeds
• ▢ 12 Cloves
• ▢ 4 sticks Cinnamon
• ▢ 25 Red chilies Makes medium spicy
• ▢ ½ cup Desiccated coconut

FOR THE BELL PEPPER RICE – (SERVES 4-6)

• ▢ 1 cup Rice
• ▢ 2 cup Bell pepper/capsicum Chopped
• ▢ 2 tbsp Oil
• ▢ 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• ▢ 2 tsp Kadalai paruppu /channa dal
• ▢ few Cashew pieces
• ▢ ½ tsp Turmeric powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp Asafetida
• ▢ few Curry leaves
• ▢ 4-5 tbsp Vegetable rice powder
• ▢ to taste Salt

Instructions

TO MAKE THE VEGETABLE RICE POWDER -

• Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned above separately until golden brown and aromatic. (I am missing the cinnamon in the picture).
• Let it cool down to room temperature and then grind it into a coarse powder.
• Store in an airtight container.

To make the bell pepper rice –

• Cook the rice and cool it in a wide pan.
• In a large pan, add the oil and season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, kadalai paruppu, asafetida, curry leaves, and cashew.
• Now add the chopped bell pepper pieces and cook it until it is almost done. Do not overcook the vegetable. Make sure it still has a crunch to it.
• Now add the salt and vegetable rice powder. Mix well.
• Add this to the cooled rice and mix well. Add some oil or ghee when mixing (optional).
• Serve with raita and chips!
• I served it with some Aviyal!

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 924mg | Fiber: 26g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1969IU | Vitamin C: 314mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 9mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!