Palneni Chushki Recipe

Palneni Chushki is a favorite for family dinners or as a main course at the festive table in Bulgaria. This tasty dish consists of fresh bell peppers that are stuffed with ground meat, rice, and vegetables baked to perfection in the oven.

In today’s post, I’ll show you an authentic recipe for this iconic Bulgarian treat. If you’re hosting a family reunion or party, don’t hesitate to give Palneni Chushki a try. I’m sure that everyone will be impressed with these yummy stuffed peppers.

Bulgarian Palneni Chushki – More Than Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a dinner staple worldwide, with many countries boasting their own versions. However, what distinguishes the Bulgarian variety from all the others is the addition of dried savory, which is the main spice for numerous Bulgarian delicacies.

The peppers used in the recipe can be green or yellow, but red peppers are the sweetest, so they are more suitable. After being baked in the oven, they acquire an irresistible smoky taste. Together with the meaty filling, they become an incredible combination of flavors!

In Bulgaria, the locals also prepare other variations of stuffed peppers, combining different sets of ingredients. The peppers can be fresh or dried and stuffed with beans, rice, or raisins. That said, these varieties are mostly enjoyed on Christmas Eve when all the dishes on the table must be vegetarian-friendly.

Palneni Chushki Making: Simple Tools For Delicious Results

Here are the tools you should prepare to make this Palneni Chushki recipe a success.

Key Ingredients of Flavorful Palneni Chushki

Having the right ingredients is important for making your Palneni Chushki taste like how people cook it in Bulgaria. Prepare the following ingredients.

Instructions To Cook Panini Chuski With No Difficulty

Here is an easy-to-follow guide for making delicious Palneni Chushki at home!

Step 1: Cook The Filling On The Stove

Heat up your stovetop pan with 2/3 of the oil on medium heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion and carrot in oil for about 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant.

Add the minced meat to the pan, breaking it up with a kitchen turner as it cooks. Continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it changes color.

Add the salt, ground black pepper, and dried savory and stir. Then add the washed and drained rice and stir again. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomatoes and stir. Then start adding the water, stirring regularly.

First, add 1 ½ cups of water and stir. After the rice absorbs the water, add the next 1 ½ cups of water, stirring regularly. Once the rice has fully soaked up the water, it should be soft. At this point, the filling is ready, and you can take it off the stove.

Add the finely chopped parsley and stir. Leave the pepper filling aside to cool.

Step 2: Prepare The Baking Tray

Pour the rest of the oil and water into the baking tray so that they cover the bottom of the tray. If necessary, add more water. It is important that the bottom of the baking tray remains covered with water during baking.

Step 3: Stuff The Peppers

Cut off the top of the pepper with the stalk (pepper cap), as shown in the image. Remove the seeds from the pepper and cover it with the cap. Repeat this for the remaining peppers.

After you have removed all seeds from the peppers, stuff the peppers with the filling using a teaspoon, then put the cap back. Avoid overfilling them.

Step 4: Bake The Peppers

Sprinkle some oil and salt on the peppers and bake them in the oven at 356 degrees F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

After removing them from the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes. You can serve the peppers with a few spoons of yogurt. Enjoy! 

Tips And Tricks Of Cooking Palneni Chushki

Making Bulgarian-style stuffed peppers can be a bit tricky for first-timers. But don’t worry. The tips and tricks in this section will help solve all your problems.

Experience The Flavor Of Bulgarian Cuisine

While there are many ways to make stuffed bell peppers, the Bulgarian-style version is undoubtedly my all-time favorite. The fresh, slightly smoky taste of baked peppers combines beautifully with the meaty and starchy filling, turning this dish into a true delight.

What do you think about Palneni Chushki? Will you try this recipe for your next dinner? I’ll eagerly wait for your answers, so feel free to leave a comment below. Besides, if you find today’s recipe enjoyable, don’t hesitate to like and share it so more people can experience this Bulgarian delicacy.

Palneni Chushki Recipe (Bulgarian Stuffed Peppers)

Palneni Chushki is a traditional Bulgarian dish consisting of bell peppers and rice, minced meat, and vegetable stuffing. The combination is so good that it quickly becomes a favorite dish for the whole family!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Bulgarian

Keyword: Bulgarian Stuffed Peppers, Palneni Chushki

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Dietary Preference: None

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 415kcal

Equipment

• Medium baking pan/tray
• Large pan
• Kitchen turner
• Small bowl (optional)
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Teaspoon

Ingredients

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US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 15 bell peppers
• ▢ 1.3 pounds minced meat
• ▢ 1 cup white rice
• ▢ 1 finely chopped onion
• ▢ 1 finely chopped carrot
• ▢ 0.5 cup ground tomatoes or canned tomatoes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried savory
• ▢ 0.66 tablespoon salt or to taste
• ▢ 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 0.3 cups olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• ▢ 3 cups of water to cook the rice
• ▢ 1 cup of water for the bottom of the baking tray

Instructions 

• Heat up your stovetop pan with 2/3 of the oil on medium heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion and carrot in oil for about 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant.
  
• Add the minced meat to the pan, breaking it up with a kitchen turner as it cooks. Continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it changes color.
  
• Add the salt, ground black pepper, and dried savory and stir. Then add the washed and drained rice and stir again. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Add the tomatoes and stir. Then start adding the water, stirring regularly.
  
• First, add 1 ½ cups of water and stir. After the rice absorbs the water, add the next 1 ½ cups of water, stirring regularly. Once the rice has fully soaked up the water, it should be soft. Take the filling off the stove.
  
• Add the finely chopped parsley and stir. Leave the pepper filling aside to cool.
  
• Pour the rest of the oil and water into the baking tray so that they cover the bottom of the tray. If necessary, add more water.
  
• Cut off the top of the pepper with the stalk (pepper cap), as shown in the image. Remove the seeds from the pepper and cover it with the cap. Repeat this for the remaining peppers.
  
• After you have removed all seeds from the peppers, stuff the peppers with the filling using a teaspoon, then put the cap back.
  
• Sprinkle some oil and salt on the peppers and bake them in the oven at 356 degrees F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
  
• After removing them from the oven, let them cool for about 10 minutes. Serve the peppers with a few spoons of yogurt. Enjoy!
  

Video

Notes

• The estimated cooking time is for making 8 servings.
• If you prepare the minced meat yourself, the pork shoulder is the most suitable cut. If you want the meat to be a little fattier, you can also add pork breast.
• Dried savory will result in the most authentic flavor, but you can replace it with dry oregano and a little dry thyme.
• Smoked paprika is also a great spice to add to the filling. Don’t use sweet paprika, though.
• You can try making the filling with fish, poultry, or any kind of protein you want to switch up the flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 793mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 8378IU | Vitamin C: 290mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3mg