Green Pepper Boats are a carb-light version of a Shepherd’s pie. This does need some planning and prior preparation if you are planning to make it for a weeknight supper and from scratch. It’s quick to assemble once you have all the ingredients sorted.
The notes section of the recipe provides some tips on prior preparation.
In this version I have used chicken mince and Indian spices as a twist on the original recipe.
Ingredients for the minced Chicken:
400 grams minced chicken
3 tablespoons oil
3 medium onions, finely diced
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/4 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
1 cup peas
1 tablespoon biryani spice mix
½ teaspoon chaat masala
salt to taste
Ingredients for the potato mash:
1 tbsp salted butter
3 potatoes, boiled and peeled
½ teaspoon chilli powder
salt to taste
Ingredients for the peppers:
4 green peppers, halved and deseeded
1 tablespoon oil
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste
Green peppers with mince and mashed potatoes
Method:
- Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C for about 10 minutes. Arrange the peppers on a baking tray.
- In the meanwhile, in a bowl, add 1 tbsp of the oil, cumin, ½ teaspoon chilli and garlic powders. Add salt. Mix well and brush this mix over the cut peppers.
- Bake or grill for about 25-30 minutes. (This can be done a few hours in advance or even the previous evening.)
- In a pressure cooker, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the chopped onions and saute until pink. Add the ginger-garlic paste and continue sautéing. Now add the tomato paste, peas and the biryani spice mix. Mix well.
- Add the chicken mince to the pressure cooker and mix well so that it is coated with the onion-tomato-spices mix.
- Add 1 cup of water and pressure cook for about 5 minutes. After the first whistle, turn off the heat and let the pressure cook cool down.
- In the meanwhile, mash the boiled potatoes and add salt, ½ teaspoon chilli powder and 1 tbsp butter. Mix well and keep aside.
- Once the cooker has cooled, check if the water has evaporated. If there is still some left over, saute on high heat, stirring constantly until there is no more water left. Taste and add some chaat masala, at this stage, if required.
- Take off the heat and start assembling the green pepper boats.
- Spoon the chicken mince into the peppers. Top with some mashed potato. Add some grated cheese, if you prefer.
- Preheat the oven on 200 degrees C for about 7-10 minutes. Place the tray of stuffed peppers in to the oven until the potatoes are lightly browned or the cheese is melted.
- Serve hot.
Notes:
- Advance prep can include grilling or baking the marinaded peppers as well as cooking the mince. Both can be done a day in advance.
- You can also make a vegetarian version using potatoes. See the image, below.
- I used 2 green peppers, halved, and 3 boiled potaoes. I sauteed the potatoes and a handful of peas with cumin, chilli powder, salt and chaat masala. These ingredients are separate from the quantities listed above.
Green pepper boats with potatoes
