I recently learnt that the fancy red and yellow capsicums displayed in refrigerated supermarket shelves, often at a premium, are frequently the same capsicums sold green at the sabziwala [greengrocer], simply harvested at different stages of ripeness.

Of course, each colour has its own distinctive flavour. Red and yellow capsicums tend to be sweeter and fruitier, while green ones are usually crunchier and sharper in taste.

I enjoy all three colours, choosing whichever is available and affordable. Capsicums are easy to cook with and add colour and appeal to a dish. Here are a few of my favourite ways to cook them.

MEXICAN STUFFED PEPPERS

Stuffed bell-peppers are known as Gemista or Yemista in Greek cuisine and Biber Dolmasi in Turkish cuisine. They also have a local name: bhar-wa shimla mirch. More on that in a bit.

For Mexican stuffed peppers, use capsicums of any colour. Cut off the tops around the stems and remove the cores and seeds to create hollow shells. In a pot, sauté two chopped onions and one tablespoon of chopped garlic. Once the onions turn translucent, add 500g of minced chicken, mutton or beef. Sauté for five minutes on low heat. Add a little water as needed to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom.

Whether green, red or yellow, capsicums are versatile kitchen staples. Try them stuffed with spiced mince and rice, or packed with potatoes and cheese

Add salt to taste and half a teaspoon each of ground cumin, white pepper and red chilli powder. Add half a cup of tomato paste and mix well. Stir and sauté till the ground meat is cooked.

Add one cup of washed white rice, a drained 350g can of sweetcorn and two cups of chicken, mutton or beef stock. If you don’t have stock, dissolve two chicken stock cubes in two cups of hot water and add to the mix. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Once the liquid has been absorbed, remove the pot from the heat and stir in half a cup of chopped spring onions. Let the filling cool slightly before spooning it into the hollow capsicums. Replace the tops to cover the filling.

Transfer the stuffed capsicums to a baking pan. Add half a cup of water, cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

Remove the pepper tops and sprinkle each pepper with some shredded mozzarella.

DESI-STYLE BHAR-WA SHIMLA MIRCH

For the desi [local] variant known as bhar-wa shimla mirch, heat oil in a pot and fry chopped onions until golden. Add two chopped tomatoes, one teaspoon each of ginger and garlic paste, salt to taste, and one teaspoon each of red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin seeds and coriander powder. Add a quarter teaspoon of garam masala and cook until the tomatoes soften. Add 500g of thawed minced meat and cook, stirring occasionally and adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking, until the meat is cooked through.

Add two cups of cooked, drained rice into the minced meat. Stuff the hollow capsicums with the rice-and-meat mixture and arrange them in a baking dish. Add water, cover with aluminium foil and bake in a preheated oven, following the method used for the Mexican stuffed peppers.

If any stuffing remains, hollow out a few large, round tomatoes, fill them with the mixture and bake them alongside the peppers.

STUFFED CAPSICUM SLICES

My favourite way to make stuffed capsicum, though, is a recipe I recently came across in a Facebook reel and adapted with a few tweaks of my own.

Take three medium-sized capsicums of any colour, ideally one each of green, red and yellow. Boil five medium-sized potatoes, peel and mash them, then season them with salt to taste. Add half a teaspoon each of chilli flakes, ground turmeric, ground cumin and oregano, followed by one chopped onion, half a bunch of freshly chopped coriander and one tablespoon of lemon juice.

Take a whole capsicum and press gently around the stem end to create an opening. Remove the core and shake out the seeds. Fill the capsicum with the potato mixture, pressing it firmly into the cavity so that the filling holds together when sliced.

Cut the stuffed capsicum horizontally into shallow slices and shallow-fry them in a little oil over low heat, turning to cook both sides. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb the oil and cool slightly. If you like, sprinkle the slices with grated cheddar or mozzarella while they are still hot, allowing the cheese to melt slightly.

The writer is a member of staff. X: @HasanShazia

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 25th, 2026