Tasty Stuffed Bell Peppers

In South Africa, a braai (plural braais) is a barbecue or grill and is a social custom in much of Southern Africa.

Braai is regarded by some as another word for barbecue, in that it serves as a verb when describing how food is cooked and a noun when describing the cooking equipment, such as a grill.

While spending a few months in Isreal, being a South African, each month I would host a get-together braai event. I was in charge of cooking/braaing. This dish became my go-to dish for the +-20 vegetarians who would attend the braai each month. The bell peppers in this dish can be cooked on a braai/barbeque as well as in the oven.

Ingredients needed:

• 100g Button Mushrooms, chopped
• 1 Large Onion, finely diced
• 3 Bell Peppers, mixed colours
• 1 tbsp Mixed Herbs
• 2 tsp Crushed Garlic
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Salt
• 25ml Cooking Oil
• 250g White Rice
• 100g Feta Cheese

You will need the following for cooking:

• A medium-sized skillet
• A medium-sized pot
• A rice strainer
• Aluminium Foil

• Begin by preheating your oven to 180°C.
• Slice the tops off the bell peppers, and carefully cut the seeds and membrane free of the bell pepper stem, remove by carefully scooping them out with a tablespoon. Set the peppers and tops aside.

• In a medium-sized pot, add rice, and a tablespoon of salt and fill with enough water to cover the rice. Set on the stove to boil on high heat until rice is cooked.
• While rice is cooking, in a large skillet, heat up butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, mixed herbs and salt and pepper. Fry mixture until onion has become translucent (10 - 15 minutes), add crushed/chopped garlic and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. After this, remove the skillet from the stove plate.
• Add roughly chopped feta to the skillet and stir the mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

1. Once the rice is cooked, pour water and rice into a strainer to remove the water. Add the rice to the mixture in the skillet and cook on low heat for 3 minutes.

• Use a tablespoon to fill the bell peppers with the rice mixture. Use the tops of the peppers to "close' the mixture in.
• Lay out a piece of aluminium foil big enough to completely wrap the pepper in, shiny side facing down. Place each pepper in the centre of the foil and completely wrap each pepper.
• Place wrapped peppers in an oven-proof dish and leave them to cook for 25 minutes in the oven.

• After 25 minutes, remove the oven dish from the oven. Take care not to burn yourself when unwrapping each bell pepper as the foil will still be very hot.
• Slice bell peppers as desired.
• Serve and enjoy!