Persian Stuffed Peppers

This is a recipe handed down the generations on my mothers side that I have adapted slightly. The stuffing in these peppers is a delicious blend of spices, herbs, nuts, dried fruit, very typical of  flavours and textures from the middle-east. 

Method

Wash yellow split peas with cold water, cover with water and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and soak overnight. Do the same thing with brown rice. Soaking grains and legumes helps to eliminate phytates which prevent the absorption of minerals like calcium.

Rinse out the yellow split peas before covering with water again and cooking in a small pot on a medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are cooked (takes about half an hour). 

Rinse out the brown rice, cover with water, 1 tablespoon of butter/ghee and a pinch of salt and leave to cook on a medium heat. Keep an eye on the rice and stir occasionally (takes about half an hour). 

Pre-heat the oven to bake on 160 °C.

Cut a small circle around the stem of the pepper, remove the lid and take the insides out and place the lid back on the peppers. Put these to the side for now. 

Chop the coriander, parsley and mint leaves roughly and add to the cooked rice and yellow split peas. Add chopped dried apricots, crushed garlic, chopped spring onion, walnuts, saffron, cumin, cinnamon and pomegranate molasses. Give the mixture a big stir adding salt for flavour. 

Finely chop onion and add to a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee, cooking on a medium heat until brown. Add canned tomatoes and cook until saucey, adding water accordingly. Place this tomato sauce into an oven tray (depth of about 5 cm). Stuff each pepper with the rice and herb mix and place with the lid on in the tomato sauce. Bake the peppers for half an hour to an hour and serve drizzled with olive oil and topped with the sauce. 

Ingredients

8 red peppers

1.5 cups basmati rice

1 cup dried yellow split peas

2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Large bunch fresh coriander

Medium bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

Small bunch of fresh mint leaves

5 spring onions

5 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup fried apricots (sulphite free)

3/4 cup walnut pieces

Pinch crushed saffron

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

salt to taste

2 tablespoons butter or ghee

1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1 brown onion

1 can of chopped tomatoes (BPA free)

Drizzle of olive oil