Cooking with just a handful of ingredients and minimum effort does sound good, but it’s also a scary idea. There’s nowhere to hide! When all you have as ingredients are tomato and bell pepper, then it must be the ripest tomato and the freshest pepper. It’s a secret key for your creativity to evolve.

Whenever I spot shiny, bright red bell pepper/capsicum in the market, I can rarely stop myself from buying it, even though nobody in the family likes it except me. Sushant dislikes bell pepper because of its strong, pungent smell; and I love it because of the exact same reason (opposites attract, they say!). The result is that I end up cooking this veggie in a conventional way, only for myself. But I always explore different ways to include it into my family’s diet, trying to cook in a manner that eliminates its pungency. During my last visit to the market, I saw some fresh & enticing bright colored bell peppers (green, yellow, orange & red) neatly stacked on the table, attracting shoppers. So, as usual, I bought some and decided to try something else with it this time other than the conventional curry, or cook it with rice (like veg pulao) or adding it to noodles. 

The first time I experimented with this chutney in the breakfast, I was skeptical about its acceptance among my kids & Sushant. It was a pleasure watching Sushant licking his fingers and kids enjoy the chutney, given their mutual dislike for bell peppers. Seems I was successful in deceiving them, hiding pepper in plain sight. This chutney can also be used as a sandwich spread or slathered over a buttered toast and can be enjoyed with a cup of tea/coffee or a glass of fresh homemade juice.