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    Home » Recipes » Pulav | Briyani (rice varieties)

    Capsicum Rice / Green bell pepper Pulav

    Published: May 18, 2018 · by Nisha

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Capsicum Rice - Finely chopped capsicum, sautéed until tender, mildly seasoned and mixed with rice. Simple and quick one pot meal. Perfect for the summer weather when you don't have to fret in the kitchen. It is so light and easy on the stomach. Pair with any spicy side dish to make it wholesome.

    Capsicum Rice - Finely chopped capsicum, sautéed until tender and seasoned with white pepper powder.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Required to make Capsicum rice
    • Variations:
    • Tips to making the Capsicum rice
    • Other Indian Rice varieties

    The highlight of this dish is that it is not masked by abundant Indian spices. I have kept the flavours simple as I wanted to highlight the capsicum aroma. I have seen that this veggie falls under the category of either you love or hate it. There is no middle. If you are in the latter category, slightly reduce the amount of capsicum. If you love capsicum, then this is a real treat!

    Ingredients Required to make Capsicum rice

    Rice Variety: Different varieties of rice grains are available in India to make a pulao or any mixed rice variety. Basmati rice is the most common variety used across various Indian cuisines. In the South, 'kalanada sadam', which means mixed rice, is a common lunch menu. We use short grain varieties like jeeraga samba, sona masoori, or Ponni raw rice. In general, any non sticky rice variety, long or short grain works.

    Capsicum / Bell Pepper: You can use any variety of bell peppers for making this dish. Though green capsicums are commonly used, red and yellow in combination with green can be used. I suggest not to use the coloured variety separately as the rice may be too sweet for the Indian palate.

    Peanuts and Cashewnuts: It is a common practice to include nuts like cashews and peanuts, and lentils like urad dal and channa dal (in south Indian style rice dishes) to give a surprising crunch each bite. It gives a wonderful sensory experience.

    Spice and Seasonings: The main variation in capsicum rice comes from the type of spice you use. This dish is so versatile that you can whatever you find in your pantry. Below are few of the varieties that I have tried. As per my personal experience, I would skip using cumin powder or garam masala as the flavour might overpower the flavour of capsicum.

    Ingredients list for Capsicum Rice - Finely chopped capsicum in all colours, onion, peanuts, green chillies etc...

    Variations: 

    1. To make a South Indian style capsicum rice, use kari podi as the flavouring agent. Also add few fennel seeds while doing tadka.
    2. If you want to make it as a pulav, add cinnamon stick, bay leaf, black cardamom and cloves before adding the onions and skip the ingredients mentioned in tadka.
    3. A little bit of black pepper powder with one green chilli is another simple variation you can try.
    4. Substitute white pepper powder instead of black pepper powder for a different taste.

    Tips to making the Capsicum rice

    1. Keep the flavours simple to enhance the flavour of the capsicum.
    2. Always cook capsicum al dente. If its over cooked it loses its taste. When the capsicum turns translucent, it is the key that the veggies are almost cooked.
    3. Do not cook capsicum and rice together in a pressure cooker.
    4. If you don't have basmati rice, you can substitute with any non sticky rice variety.
    5. Add salt while cooking rice, especially for pulav and rice varieties. It tastes good.
    6. Always soak basmati rice for sometime to ensure even cooking.
    7. Adding oil while cooking rice helps in separating the rice grains. The cooked rice will not be sticky.
    Capsicum Rice - Finely chopped capsicum, sautéed until tender and seasoned with white pepper powder.

    5 from 1 vote
    Print
    Capsicum rice
    Prep Time
    10 mins
    Cook Time
    15 mins
    Rice Soaking time
    10 mins
    Total Time
    25 mins
     

    Capsicum Rice - Finely chopped capsicum, sautéed until tender and seasoned with white pepper powder. Nothing more nothing less. Simple and quick. Perfect for the summer weather when you don't have to fret in the kitchen.

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: Capsicum rice, Easy rice dishes
    Servings: 5 people
    Author: Nisha
    Ingredients
    For the rice
    • 1.5 cups jeeraga samba rice
    • 1.5 cups water
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
    For the capsicum masala
    • 2 tablespoons ghee or oil, divided
    • ½ cup peanuts or cashews
    • 128 grams onion (1 large), finely chopped
    • 1 green chilli, slit lengthwise
    • 600 grams Capsicum / Bell Peppers (Mix of green, yellow and red) or 2.5 cups finely chopped capsicums
    • Salt to taste
    • Coriander leaves for garnishing
    Spice Seasonings - Variation 1
    • ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
    • ¼ teaspoon kasoori Methi, crushed
    • ½ teaspoon garam masala
    Spice Seasonings - Variation 2
    • 2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala or any sabzi masala refer notes
    Spice Seasonings - Variation 3
    • ½ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper powder
    Instructions
    Cooking the rice
    1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Then soak it for about 15 minutes. Drain the water.

    2. In a pressure cooker, add the rice, little salt and 1.5 cup of water. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat. You can also use a pan to cook the rice. It will take more time.

    For capsicum rice
    1. Heat a skillet or kadai, add a teaspoon of oil and fry the cashews or peanuts on medium high heat until they become golden brown. Remove using a slotted spoon. Keep it aside.

    2. Add the remaining ghee and once they are hot, add cumin seeds and let it splutter.
    3. Then add the chopped onion and green chilli. Sautee until the onions turn translucent. Do not brown them.

    4. Then add the chopped capsicum and fry until the capsicum become tender to bite. It takes about 10 minutes if they are evenly and finely chopped.
    5. Add salt and the spice seasonings you prefer. Mix well. Cover and cook for a minute for the flavours to mix well.

    6. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and roasted cashews or peanuts or both. Mix well once again and turn off the flame.

    Serving Suggestions
    1. Serve with raita or gravy or vadam/fryums or papads.

    Recipe Notes
    1. The cooking time of rice varies with type, quality, brand and age of the rice.
    2. For Basmati and Jeeraga samba variety, soaking the rice helps in even cooking of the grains.
    3. You can substitute the basmati rice for any long grain or short grain rice variety
    4. Adding oil to the rice keeps the grain separate after cooking.
    5. Salt enhances the taste of the dish. Just add little.
    6. Substitute white pepper powder with black pepper powder, if you don't like or don't have it.

    Variations:

    1. To make a South Indian style capsicum rice, use kari podi as the flavouring agent. Also add few fennel seeds.
    2. If you want to make it as a pulav, add cinnamon stick, bay leaf, black cardamom and cloves before adding the onions. It gives a different taste to the dish.

    Other Indian Rice varieties

    • Jeera Rice / Jeera Pulav
    • South Indian Lemon Rice - Elumichampazham Sadam
    • Pulikachal | Puliyodharai | Tamarind Rice

    View other "Pulav | Briyani (rice varieties)" recipes

    • Fennel scented Spring Onion Pulav
    • Aloo dum Briyani
    • Coconut Milk Pulav
    • Mushroom Pulav | Kaalan Pulav

    Did you try this recipe ?

    Then share your experience (and photo) with us on Facebook or Instagram or email us or leave a comment below. We look forward to hearing from you!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. sapana says

      June 12, 2018 at 1:22 pm

      Capsicum is my favorite vegetable in rice-based dishes. Your rice looks perfectly cooked, each grain separated.

      Reply
    2. themadscientiststskitchen says

      June 02, 2018 at 4:35 pm

      WOW! I love the rice you have made here! Such a delicious and flavourful rice.

      Reply
    3. Pavani says

      May 30, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      That is a beautifully presented rice dish Nisha. Pepper pulav looks and sounds absolutely delicious. Very easy to make too.

      Reply
    4. Renu says

      May 28, 2018 at 2:50 pm

      This looks like restaurant style......Perfectly cooked rice and the plate looks so colourful

      Reply
    5. Chef Mireille says

      May 28, 2018 at 4:30 am

      love how colorful this rice is - looks so inviting

      Reply
    6. Varada says

      May 26, 2018 at 9:00 pm

      Your pictures are so good. The rice looks light and fluffy. Very colorful and I am sure tasty.

      Reply
    7. Mayuri Patel says

      May 25, 2018 at 10:39 pm

      Making a rice with lots of capsicum is interesting. The rice looks so flavorful.

      Reply
    8. Srivalli says

      May 23, 2018 at 11:21 am

      That plate looks absolutely sinful Nisha. Love how the rice and capsicum look so good. Fantastic meal!

      Reply
    9. Usha says

      May 22, 2018 at 4:05 am

      Rice is mouthwatering !! You captured it beautifully. This is a real comfort food and a great one when lazy to spend hours in the kitchen.

      Reply
    10. Gayathri Kumar says

      May 22, 2018 at 3:10 am

      Wow! Nisha, this capsicum rice has turned out so good. Love the colourful rice a lot. And by keeping the flavours simple, this rice will sing capsicum..

      Reply
    11. Priya Suresh says

      May 21, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      Capsicum rice is our family favourite. I never forget to make this kind of rice dish for our weekend meal. Lipsmacking dish definitely.

      Reply
    12. Nalini says

      May 20, 2018 at 10:52 pm

      Simple and a quick meal for the lunch box..

      Reply

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    Nisha freelances as a food & product photographer/recipe developer & content creator in the F&B space.

    She loves everything about food and their stories! You can find her mostly in the kitchen trying to whip up something or reading culinary anecdotes.

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