One of my favorite vegetables to eat are Sri Lankan capsicums. The reason I highlight “Sri Lankan” is that the name capsicum can encompass a wide variety of different peppers depending on where in the world one would be. The capsicum I am referring to is locally called maalu (fish) miris (chili); its closest relative would be the the banana pepper (milder) or the Hungarian wax pepper (medium spiced) or the yellow wax pepper. Why the Sri Lankan capsicums are called “fish chilis’ is still a mystery to me: it could allude to its fish-like shape or it could be because they are often stuffed with a fish preparation when cooked. I found a very similar chili in the Philippines called the Gap Pepper. These have worked well as a substitute for Sri Lankan capsicum preparations. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find much information on these peppers except that they seem to be seasonal and not always available in the market.

The peppers I used for this recipe, as I mentioned, are gap peppers. These peppers, although mild on the outside, have an extremely potent pith or rib area (the white insides of the pepper that holds the seeds; which are actually the spicy parts of a chili – not the seeds). Therefore, I needed to thoroughly clean out the pepper before using.

I approached this recipe in three parts: one was to cook a minced beef curry; two was to stuff the capsicums; and three was currying the stuffed capsicums. For part three of the curry, I used the oven.

Ingredients

• 8 capsicums
• 200g minced beef
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic (grated or pounded to a paste)
• 1 small piece ginger (grated or pounded to a paste)
• 1 sprig curry leaf finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp roasted curry powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 piece cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 3 pieces pandan leaf (2-3 inches each)
• 1 stem lemongrass
• 1/4 cup coconut cream + extra if needed
• water as needed
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (or other oil of choice)
• 1 largish potato diced small

Method

Cooking the Beef Mince Curry

1. Heat oil in a pot. Add fenugreek and curry leaf and fry for a few seconds. Add onion and fry. Add ginger, garlic and continue frying.
2. Add the minced beef and fry, continuously stirring till the beef has lost its redness. Add salt and pepper and continue stirring.
3. Add the powders, tamarind, cinnamon, cardamom, pandan, and lemongrass. continue to cook for about 5 mins.
4. Add coconut cream and about 1 cup water, stir well and cook on med-low heat for about 20 mins. Replenish any water lost during the cooking process (you need gravy for the next part of the cooking).
5. Adjust flavour of curry to your liking. A little more salt than usual is desirable at this point.
6. Strain the mince and reserve the gravy. remove the pandan, lemongrass, and cinnamon stick and set aside with the gravy. Return the mince into the pot.

Assembling the Stuffed Capsicums

1. While the curry is cooking prepare the capsicums and potato.
2. Make a slit down the length of the capsicum and a small horizontal slit at the top of the capsicum to expose the insides. remove all of the pith and the seeds. Wash out the insides to ensure all of the spicy bits are removed. If you wish to have a spicy version, you can keep the seeds and pith as is.
3. Cook the potato till done. The easiest method is to cover and microwave it in a microwave safe bowl for 2and half minutes on high. Once done, add the cooked potatoes to the strained mince. cook on high till you have a fairly dry mix. leave to cool.
4. Once cooled, stuff the chilies and set aside.

Cooking the Stuffed Capsicums

1. Preheat oven to 200⁰C
2. Place stuffed capsicums in an oven proof dish. Spray a little cooking oil and bake uncovered for 30 mins. Check on them often. If they look like they are starting to burn, reduce heat and/or cover dish.
3. Once the capsicums looks cooked, carefully pour over the reserved gravy. Cover and return the dish to the oven.
4. Cook for about 10 mins.
5. Remove pandan, lemongrass, and cinnamon and serve.