Red Bell Pepper Chutney

I always wondered why Red and Yellow peppers are expensive than the green ones. To me, its the same vegetable but just picked at different stages. Then, recently I read an article that had some explaination about it. It said that red and yellow peppers are more fragile and spoil quickly since they are extra ripe, so extra care has to be taken care of them like extra cost to transport etc. Well, that kind of made sense, but still I do not agree that the bell pepper can cost 80 cents per pound while Yellow pepper can cost $2.99 per pound.

Anyway, I like the red bell peppers more than the yellow and green peppers. May be because of that vibrant color and definitely the red one has a different flavor than the other ones. I regularly use this in my pasta, stir-fry noodles etc. Well, here is a yummy chutney recipe made with the red peppers that goes really well with Idlis and Dosas. I enjoy it by spreading this chutney on my dosa along with some gingely oil. Yummy!

Ingredients:

• Red Bell Peppers - 2


• Onion - 1 medium


• Garlic - 2 small cloves


• Red Chillies - 2 or 3 (I make little extra hot)


• Shredded Coconut - 2 tbsp


• Roasted Peanuts - 2 tbsp (I sometimes replace this with roasted urad dal)


• Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp (optional)


• Salt to taste.

Procedure:

• Heat a tsp of oil in a shallow pan, Simmer the heat, fry the Red chillies until they change color.


• Now add the onions and garlic cloves and fry until the onions change color and become soft.


• Now add the red bell peppers and fry until they lose shape.


• Cool them to room temperature and then blend them together with salt, peanuts, tamarind and coconut.

Delicious Red Bell Pepper Chutney is ready! Enjoy with Idlis and Dosas.