← Back to Index

Pulneni Chushki (Bulgarian Stuffed Peppers)

What do you need?

• 8 medium bell peppers
• 500g ground pork or beef (or a mix)
• 100g white rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tomatoes, grated (or 400g canned chopped tomatoes)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried savory or chopped parsley
• 400ml tomato juice or passata (for baking liquid)
• (optional) 1 egg + 200ml yoghurt, for a topping

How to make it

1. Wash the peppers, slice off the tops (keep them as lids), and remove the seeds and membranes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
3. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink. Stir in the rice, tomatoes, paprika, salt, pepper, and savory/parsley. Cook 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened, then remove from heat.
4. Fill each pepper about three-quarters full with the meat and rice mixture (the rice will expand while baking). Stand them upright, packed snugly, in a baking dish.
5. Pour the tomato juice around the peppers so it comes about a third of the way up their sides. Cover the dish with foil.
6. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 45 minutes covered, then uncover and bake another 15 minutes until tender and lightly browned on top.
7. Optional: whisk the egg with the yoghurt and pour over the peppers for the final 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until set and golden.
8. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving, spooning some of the pan sauce over each pepper.