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Whoa, it is a month into 2011 and I have already fallen back on my resolution to make 2011 the year with maximum posts on the blog.

However, I must share with you the menu for the year end dinner I hosted for friends, a completely vegetarian Lebanese Menu. Details and links to the recipes here.

Most of Jan was spent outside of home, partly visiting family and then a small vacation to Hong Kong. Being vegetarians, finding good vegetarian food in HK turns into a mini-adventure by itself. I must write about some of the good stuff we tried there, in a different post.

I have a blog-plan in place for this month. Its going to be the month of simple recipes, beginner-friendly even, all of February. The first in this series is a dry capsicum curry, which can be had with rotis or even to spice up a basic dal-rice menu.

I use green capsicums for this as it does not have the sweetness of the red or yellow variety. If you like that taste, then go ahead and substitute this with that, or even use a medley of colours to make the dish look pretty.

Dry capsicum subzi / Bell pepper curry
Serves 2-3
Time taken - Under 20 minutes

Ingredients
4 medium sized green capsicums or 2 large ones
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp each - fennel seeds, Nigella seeds (kalonji), fenugreek seeds (methi), mustard seeds (rai)

In a small bowl, mix together-
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp amchoor powder (dried mango powder)
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt or as per taste

Directions
Wash and cut the capsicums to a medium dice, removing the membranes and seeds.
Heat the oil in a non-stick wok and splutter the fennel, nigella, fenugreek and mustard seeds.
Add the diced capsicum to this, toss on high flame for a few seconds, reduce the flame to medium and cook for 6-8 minutes, till nearly softened.
To this add the mixed spice powders and toss well to coat evenly. On a low flame, let this cook for another 5 minutes until the raw smell of the spice powders is gone.
Using a non-stick pan makes it very easy to prepare this, as on a regular wok, the spice powders will stick and burn as we are not using too much oil.
Remove from wok and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Variations
You could also add a handful of frozen sweet corn, peas or boiled and diced potatoes to this dish.

Paruppu usili is a traditional Tamilian dish made with vegetables and lentils. The usual veggies, which go well for this are green beans and cluster beans cooked with channa dhal. This is usually served as a side dish with rice and rasam or any spicy gravies. I tried making paruppu usili with colored bell peppers and it turned out wonderful. Since the peppers were a little bit sweeter, I increased the heat level of the dish a little bit. It was totally a tasty and colorful dish

INGREDIENTS:
1. Colored bell peppers, 2.
2. Channa dhal, ½ cup.
3. Red onions, 3.
4. Green chilies, 2.
5. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon, (optional).
6. Red chilies, small, 2.
7. Cumin seeds, ½ teaspoon.
8. Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
9. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.
10. Salt as per taste.

PREPARATION:
Soak the channa dhal for 1 hour and grind it to a smooth paste with the red chilies and cumin seeds. Transfer the contents to a stainless steel container and steam them for 15-20 minutes and let it cool (I used idli plates and idli cooker for this). Once cooled crumble them into small pieces and keep aside. Meanwhile chop the bell peppers into small bite-size pieces, dice the onions finely, and slit the green chilies into 2. Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the diced onions, curry leaves, and green chilies and sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn brown. Then add the ginger garlic paste, chopped bell peppers, and salt and keep sautéing for a few more minutes. When the peppers are half-done, add the crumbled channa dhal, mix everything well and keep cooking under medium-low flame for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice and any spicy gravy.