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–+ servings

Sri Lankan Zucchini and Peppers

I learned to make this from Nanacy Rajapakse who is from Sri Lanka. Nanacy made it with bacon, and, while very good with bacon, it is also wonderful without. As a variation, cabbage, cut into ½ inch wide strips, can be substituted for the zucchini. Feel free to adjust the quantity of spices to your taste. Curry leaves can be difficult to obtain outside of large metropolitan areas with large South Asian or Southeast Asian populations. There is no substitute. If not available, just omit the curry leaves as I often do.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2-3 medium zucchini
  • 1 bell pepper or 2-3 Cubanelle or Hungarian Sweet peppers
  • 1 medium onion
  • 5-6 slices bacon approximately 1/3 pound
  • 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 3/4 - 1 inch stick cinnamon
  • 8-10 curry leaves if available
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper freshly ground to taste

Method
 

  1. Peel and thinly slice the zucchini.
  3. Core and seed the peppers and cut into thin strips.
  4. Thinly slice the onion.
  5. Dice the bacon.
  6. Crush the fennel and cinnamon in mortar. Reserve.
  7. In a large sauté pan, fry the bacon until crisp.
  8. Remove and reserve the cooked bacon.
  9. Fry the onion in the rendered bacon fat until golden.
  10. When the onion is nearly done, add the crushed fennel seed and cinnamon along with the curry leaves, if using.
  11. Cook a few minutes longer to bloom the spices.
  12. Add the zucchini and peppers.
  13. Stir fry over high heat until the vegetables are pliable but still crunchy.
  14. Season with salt and pepper while cooking, tasting from time to time to adjust the seasoning. The dish is best with a bit of a bite from black pepper.
  15. Stir the cooked bacon into the vegetables after they have cooked.

Notes

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