Here we call it Chushki for short, which is peppers in Bulgarian. But the full name is Furmani Chushki – it’s fried peppers.
Rachel Plai: The best way to pass on the recipes is face-to-face, cooking and preparing things together. Pay attention to every nuance, because often those small details are the most important. For years my mother Marika used to make choshki for my daughters once a week, regularly. This is a simple and delicious dish, but it requires advance preparation: roasting the peppers and peeling them. When I made it myself, it never came out the same and I would get the comment: “It’s delicious, but not like Grandma’s.”
There was a little secret, which I didn’t pay attention to, and it is the one that makes all the difference – the roasted peppers must be dry of any liquid before they go into the pan.
Ingredients for Bulgarian Fried Peppers
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 red peppers
- 6 eggs
- Salt
- ground black pepper
Instructions
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1. Roast peppers over an open flame or in the oven until their skins are browned, slightly charred and separated from the flesh. Cool in a closed container or sealed bag (the steam that will be created will help the peel to detach more easily).
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2. Peel and clean the roasted peppers from the stems and seeds. Tear into strips or roughly chop.
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3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the peppers in it for a minute or two, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
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4. Add eggs (and if you want Bulgarian cheese), season with salt and pepper and cook while stirring until the liquid evaporates and the eggs crystallize into flakes. Serve hot.
The spicy version or Bulgarian shakshuka: start the frying with onion and garlic. Add the peppers and cook for 5 minutes as in the recipe. Also add 3 peeled and chopped tomatoes (without juice and seeds) and continue according to the recipe. At the end, add chopped parsley.