ALOO CAPSICUM FRY (Potatoes and Bell Pepper Stir Fry) – an easy dry Indian stir fry with potatoes, bell peppers, simple pantry spices and herbs; a perfect side dish with any meal.
This is one of the easiest yet one of the tastiest vegetable stir fries I make which my family loves! It was so much in demand; it ended up in my kids’ school lunch boxes (I am talking about nearly 20 years back!) with some soft parathas or rotis almost every few days!
Whenever they got a bit bored, paneer took the place of potatoes and we all know kids love paneer! I A slight change in the type of spices (and sometimes I would use boxed readymade spice mixes too!) and you end up with a new curry!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE ALOO CAPSICUM FRY:
All you need are potatoes, capsicum or bell peppers and some simple spices:
Methi seeds or fenugreek seeds which impart a lovely aroma (easily available in any Indian store or online); but if you cannot find it, just omit it; you need to add just a few seeds, just to flavor the curry; more will make it bitter! You can substitute with some cumin seeds or even mustard seeds.
Hing/asafetida powder – just a dash as it aids in digestion and I always add it along with any potato dish; again available in any Indian store or online.
Cumin and coriander powders – this I am sure everyone has!
Red chili powder or also called cayenne powder for the spicy heat and herbs like freshly chopped cilantro and a dash of crushed dried fenugreek leaves.
(If you cannot find methi or hing, just omit these and use some whole cumin seeds or even mustard seeds with some curry leaves!)
HOW TO MAKE THIS STIR FRY:
As potatoes take a longer time to cook than bell peppers, stir fry these first along with the spices until they are fork tender soft and then add the chopped bell peppers and crushed kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves.
Capsicum or bell peppers take almost no time to cook so make sure you saute them on medium high just a wee bit until they are soft but have a bit crunch in them!
A shower of freshly chopped cilantro and you are done with cooking; time to dig in!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Being a dry stir fry, it is a perfect side dish that goes well with rice and any dal, sambar etc. But if you are a roti/paratha/naan person, then again, aloo capsicum fry is perfect to scoop up with your flat breads!
Hey, and if you are into wraps, just roll the dry curry in some soft parathas for a quick meal! Drizzle ketchup or any chutney if you prefer.
Any which way, you are going to love this no-onion, no-garlic quick, easy and delicious Indian spiced stir fry which comes together in no time!
If you try this recipe, don't forget to rate it, comment in the box below and tag me #curryandvanilla16 on Instagram!
Here are some stir fries you will love:
Snake Gourd/Poddale Upkari/Stir Fry
Kela Upkari/South Indian Plantain Stir Fry
Lets check out the recipe shall we?
An easy dry Indian stir fry with potatoes, bell peppers, simple pantry spices and herbs; a perfect side dish with any meal.
Ingredients
- 2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
- 1 cup cubed green pepper/capsicum
- 1 cup cubed red pepper/capsicum
- 3 to 4 tablespoons oil
- 6 methi/fenugreek seeds
- ½ tsp hing/asafetida powder
- 1 tsp jeera/cumin powder
- 2 tsp dhania/coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder/cayenne
- 1 tsp crushed dry kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
- Freshly chopped coriander leaves/cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Wash, peel and chop potatoes into small cubes. Keep them immersed in a bowl of water to prevent browning.
- Chop red and green bell peppers into similar sized petals or cubes.
- Heat oil in a large deep saucepan or kadai on medium heat and once the oil is hot, add the seasonings – methi seeds, hing powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder.
- Sauté for a few seconds (do not burn) and then drain and tip in the cubed potatoes. Add a sprinkle of salt and mix well. Sauté for a few seconds.
- Cook covered for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the potatoes become slightly soft, fork tender and cooked. Sprinkle some water if needed in between.
- Once the potatoes are almost done (fork tender), tip in the cubed bell peppers, crushed dry fenugreek leaves and some more salt accordingly. Mix well and stir fry on medium heat uncovered until the potatoes are well sautéed and bell peppers are cooked yet with still a bite in them!
- Remove the stir fry from heat, garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with a lemon wedge as a side dish with rice and dal or with some soft and fresh Indian flatbreads like rotis, parathas, puris, naan etc.!
Notes
Adjust the amount of spices according to personal taste.
Instead of methi or hing, you can use some whole cumin seeds and/or mustard seeds with some curry leaves.
Dried fenugreek leaves are a wonderful and heavenly aromatic herb easily available in any Indian store or even online is used in many north Indian dishes but can be avoided if you cannot find this dry herb easily.
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Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!
Aloo capsicum fry is my favorite, I love it with some roti and yogurt. Such a nice lunch recipe.
This aloo capsicum looks lip smacking. I love potatoes and those crisp roasted potatoes are calling my name.
Such a colorful and healthy stirfry, i love simple dishes like these, easy to make and pack during busy mornings! i make a gravy version of this curry, this dry version sounds yumm, will try this pretty soon!
The dish looks absolutely inviting. I have never added fenugreek seeds to this sabzi but, I am sure it would have imparted it with lovely flavors.
Thanks dear Anshu! Just a dash of methi, but adds a wonderful flavor 🙂
This quick stir fry is a saviour in the morning when I have to pack two lunchboxes... Looks really good
Yes, Amrita! Perfect lunchbox treats, healthy and delicious! Thanks a ton dear <3
Aloo shimla mirch is one of my favorite sabzis. Your dish is looking so tempting. I never tried adding fenugreek to it, will do it next time as I love fenugreek seeds.
Thanks Vandana! Do try adding just a pinch; a little goes a long way! Love the aroma of methi; seeds and leaves 🙂
I love this sabzi a lot, it's one of the favourite dishes at home. Addition of bell pepper into sabji looks so delicious and irresistible. Yours looks so delish!
Thanks so much dear Jolly!! Our favorite too!
Capsicum aloo stir fry is our favourite sabzi, though i do add only green capsicum along with aloo.
It's such a versatile dish that it can be paired well with any gravy wali sabzi.
Lovely share.
Absolutely!! Although just green capsicums are suffice, red ones do add a mild sweetness and of course, the color just adds to the visual treat 🙂
Thanks a ton dear <3
What a mouthwatering subji Vanitha! I like that you used both red and green peppers and also the use of kasuri methi in this recipe.
Thanks so much Sandhya! Love a colorful dish and kasoori methi is one of my favorite herbs; try to crazily add to anything!! 😀
Whenever it comes to capsicum, I am always a big NO to it but seeing your bowl has put me in dilemma. This looks so inviting & mouthwatering that I am keen to try it out sooner. Thanks for sharing a lovely recipe.
Thank you so much 🙂 Do give it a try; quick, easy and delicious!
I've not thought of pairing aloo with capsicum, your preparation looks so colorful and tempting Vanitha. Its actually an excellent way to get the family to enjoy capsicum.
Yes, that is true! Capsicum is always, always in my fridge! Thanks a bunch dear <3
Vanitha, this is such a delicious and quick dish to pair with rotis and parathas. Little variation in spices is all it makes a difference to flavour the dish. I can imagine the lovely flavours from hing and kasoori methi.
Thanks a ton dear <3 Yes, both those spices do give a lovely flavor and aroma to the curry! Do give this a try.
My favorite subzi to make for weeknight dinners! These are so delicious with rice or roti and such a simple recipe as well. The fenugreek leaves adds a lovely flavor to the stir fry.
Thanks dear Sandhya!! Yes, this is a quick and favorite dish in our house; easy, healthy and delicious!