Paneer Stuffed Banana Pepper

Whenever I see Banana Pepper in the vegetable market, I’m tempted to buy. Mostly it is used to prepare Milagai Bajji. This time I wanted to prepare something different without deep frying.

Here is Paneer Stuffed Banana Pepper using minimum ingredients. Paneer is Indian version of cheese.

Ingredients

• Banana Pepper (long, straight) – 8 no
• Paneer (cottage cheese) – 100 grams
• Green chilli – 5 no
• Onion medium size – 1 no
• Garlic – 2 pods
• Coriander leaves – few strings
• Salt – as per taste
• Cooking oil – 1 tablespoon

Method

• Cut banana pepper lengthwise as shown in photograph below; remove the seeds and other soft parts from inside (keep some seeds and soft parts for  stuffing); crumble paneer finely; chop green chilli, onion, garlic, coriander leaves finely.

• Paneer masala for stuffing: Heat a pan with one tablespoon of oil; add chopped onion and fry till it becomes transparent (do not add more oil in between, as paneer is likely to give out some moisture and fat when added).

• Add chopped green chilli, garlic and salt; fry for few seconds.

• Add part of the seeds and other soft parts removed from banana pepper; fry for few seconds.

• Now add crumbled paneer and stir for few seconds in low flame; add finally chopped coriander leaves, mix well (do not over cook) and remove; now paneer masala for stuffing is ready and let it cool down.

• Fill banana pepper with paneer masala evenly (do not over fill).

• Heat a flat pan and fry banana pepper in low flame with minimum oil; in between roll the banana pepper so that it is cooked evenly; remove when done.

• Tasty Paneer Stuffed Banana Pepper is ready. Serve hot as a side dish.

Tips

• Use long straight banana peppers to ensure uniform cooking all around.
• Avoid over filling of banana pepper with paneer masala, as it is likely to pop out while frying.