Capsicum Peanut Curry

This is a colorful curry made from capsicum, peanuts and tomato. This is my mom's recipe which I used to love during my childhood days. This is a different kind of curry as compared to the other Konkani curries as it uses soaked peanuts. The peanuts need to be soaked for around 1- 1/2 day so that it sprouts. The water in which the peanuts are soaked needs to be changed every 6-8 hours. If you find sprouted peanuts in your local market you can use those too. My mother also uses a little rice to thicken the curry. This curry goes well with rice and dal.

Ingredients
1 green capsicum or bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
1 cup soaked peanuts
1 tablespoon rice (uncooked)
1 cup coconut
3-4 red chilies or as per taste
small piece of tamarind
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida or hing
7 curry leaves
1 tablespoon oil
salt for taste

Method
Boil or pressure cook the peanuts with a little salt till soft. Chop the capsicum and tomato into one inch by one inch pieces. Heat one teaspoon oil in a pan and fry the capsicum till soft. Take care not to burn it..so fry it on low or medium flame. After it is soft on all sides add the tomato and fry it for 5 minutes. Add the peanuts and switch off the flame. Fry the rice in a seasoning pan on a low flame till it is crisp. Grind the coconut, tamarind, red chilies and rice into a fine paste. Add this masala to the vegetables and cook covered and get the curry to a boil. Add salt as per taste. Season with mustard seeds, asaoetida and curry leaves.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2-3