Stuffed bell pepper

This recipe is very special to me for several reasons, the main one
being that I was taught how to prepare this dish by our elder sister
Geetaben.
Geetaben, or BEN as we fondly and respectfully called her,
was a steady influence in the lives of all of us Kotecha siblings.  To
me, she was like a mother and I can proudly say that she taught me a lot
about life, family and hard work.

I spent most of my teenage years residing with Geetaben in Nairobi,
Kenya where she was always part of some social circle or another.  In
Kenya, entertainment and dinner parties are a part of everyone’s weekly
routine, the ladies spend a lot of time creating wonderful dishes, and
table displays for these parties.  There is always something new and
creative on the table be it food or decor.  My sister was very
particular about how we; her daughters (my nieces), and I portrayed and
presented ourselves.  She ensured we learnt good ettiquette and social
skills and was always on hand to remind us or gently teach us.

Today, my Geetaben is no more, but her influence remains a constant
in my life and I try am emmulate her in as many ways as I can,
constantly reflecting on what she taught us.

About the recipe itself, this stuffed bell pepper and rice dish is popular in
Italy, Greece and some parts of Turkey however, there are variations as
some are poached in chicken stock, some in wine.  It makes an
interesting and filling meal which is also easy on the eye.  I hope you
will enjoy cooking this and more so sampling and savouring it.

Ingredients and method

2 bell peppers

2 table spoon rice

1 tab sp carrots ( cut in cubes)

1 tab sp peas

1/4 tea sp salt

1/2 tea sp chili paste

1/2 tea sp dhanajeeru

cilentro

2 cups tomato soup

1/2 tea sp salt

1 tea sp chilli souce

Step one is to prepare the” chopped” vegetables, wash and soak the rice for about half an hour.

Wash the bell peppers and cut about 1cm from the top. Remove the seeds and the white pith from the peppers.

Place these in a small pan (so that the peppers can remain snugly fitted and upright throughout the cooking process.

In a separate bowl, mix the peas, carrots, rice, salt, dhanajeera and chilli paste then fill the bell peppers with this mixture.  Then pour half the tomato soup onto the peppers and the rest, around the peppers.  Steam/poach this for about 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked.