Inspiring recipes with pepper and cucumber in 8 different variations! Enrich your menu

Bell pepper and cucumber are among the most popular and used types of vegetables.

Did you know that there is a crop that combines the taste and properties of both?

Try our achokchi recipes.

It has surprisingly diverse uses in the kitchen. You can eat it raw, boiled, stewed, baked or pickled in sweet and sour pickles.

Stuffed achokcha with beef and olives

Do you like classic stuffed pepper pods? In that case, you will also be delighted with this recipe. The taste of meat, raisins, tomatoes, eggs and spices are perfectly combined in the filling.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of ground beef
• 10 pieces of achokchi
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut into pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup sliced black olives
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• salt, pepper to taste

Sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into pieces
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• salt, pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic in it.
2. When the onions are soft and translucent, add the tomato puree.
3. Stir for a few minutes and add the ground beef.
4. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. If the mixture looks dry, add a little water.
6. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
7. When done, add raisins, black olives, hard-boiled eggs and parsley.
8. Turn off the heat and leave in the pot.
9. Wash the achoccha and cut off the tip from one side.
10. Using a spoon or knife, remove the seeds and veins from each achocchi.
11. While the minced meat is cooking, prepare the sauce as well. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and onion and fry gently.
12. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until soft.
13. Add beef stock, salt and pepper.
14. Fill the achoccha with the beef mixture and tap each pod with the cut tip.
15. Place the achokcha in the pan with the sauce, close the lid and simmer for approximately 20-30 minutes on a low heat.
16. If you want to thicken the sauce, you can add two teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in water at this stage and cook until the sauce is slightly thick and glossy.

Achoccha stuffed in this way is best served with rice.

Steamed vegetable mixture with pepper and cucumber

The combination of achocchi, green beans, tomatoes and spices always tastes great. Try it with this recipe! If you want, you can of course enrich the mixture with other vegetables, for example broccoli, peppers and carrots.

Ingredients:

• 100 g of green beans
• 2-3 pieces of achokchi
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• chilli pepper
• coriander
• turmeric
• oil
• salt, pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash all the vegetables, clean them and cut them lengthwise into strips.
2. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan, add sliced garlic and onion and, if you like spicy food, a few slices of chili pepper.
3. When the onion softens, add the turmeric and coriander, cook for a minute, then add the tomatoes.
4. When the tomatoes soften a little, add the other vegetables.
5. Season with salt and simmer for 5-8 minutes without the lid.
6. Finally, add the chopped cilantro and mix.

You can use this delicious vegetable mixture as a base for many tasty dishes, for example in leche or under meat.

Pickled achokcha

Do you like canning? Try to make a few glasses of achokchi instead of the classic ones. Smaller fruits are more suitable for pickling.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of achokchi
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 750 ml of water
• 250 ml of apple cider vinegar
• 25 g of sugar
• Bay leaf
• clove
• allspice
• salt

Method:

1. Clean the achokcha, remove the seeds and cut into strips.
2. Also peel the onion and garlic and cut them into rounds or strips.
3. Mix water, vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Place the chopped achoccha, onion and garlic in clean jars.
6. Pour over the hot sweet and sour pickle.
7. Close the glasses and place them in a pot of water so that the water in the pot reaches halfway up the glasses.
8. Close the lid and cook for approximately 20 minutes.

If possible, store achoccha preserved in this way in a cool and dark place, just like preserved cucumbers.

Healthy salad with quinoa and bell pepper

A simple and very nutritious salad that you will appreciate as a great side dish at, for example, a garden party.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/2 achocchi
• 1/4 red onion
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 2-3 pieces of stalked celery
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• olive oil
• juice of one lime or lemon
• salt, pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions.
2. In another pot, boil the asparagus in boiling water for 5 minutes and then transfer it to cold water so that it does not cook any further.
3. Chop the celery, achoccha, spinach, bell pepper, onion and asparagus.
4. Mix everything well with the cooled quinoa.
5. Add olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste.
6. Mix and serve.

Mexican cucumber with quinoa prepared in this way is excellent as a side dish to grilled meat.

Lečo from achokči

Did you know that, unlike most of our recipes, the original version does not contain eggs or sausage? Try an all-vegetable option with this tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant
• 2 pieces of achokchi
• 1 red pepper
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 potato
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• sweet red pepper
• olive oil
• salt, pepper to taste

Method:

1. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
2. Then cut the washed tomatoes, eggplant and peeled potatoes into pieces and the washed and cleaned peppers and cucumbers into strips.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, stir and cook for another minute.
5. Then add the potato, salt and pepper to the pan.
6. Mix thoroughly and add the remaining ingredients, i.e. tomatoes, achoccha, bell pepper, eggplant and sweet pepper.
7. Mix thoroughly again, close the lid and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, depending on the size of the vegetable pieces.
8. Then remove the lid and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve lečo with fresh bread.

Baked Mexican cucumber boats with bacon and cheese

In addition to chicken breast, ground meat can also be used to fill the little people. Salsa sauce, which is used very often in South American cuisine, gives this variant a specific taste.

Ingredients:

• 6 pieces of achokchi
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 chicken breast
• 2/3 cup salsa
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup mozzarella
• 1/2 cup cooked white or brown rice
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Wash the achokcha, cut it open and remove the seeds.
3. Then put the achoccha in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
4. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a pan.
5. Remove it to a plate, leave the bacon fat in the pan.
6. Cut the chicken breasts in half and place them in the pan.
7. Sprinkle half the pepper and half the paprika over the top of the breasts.
8. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Turn the breasts over and sprinkle them with the rest of the seasoning.
10. Cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Check to see if the chicken breasts are done, if not, leave them in the pan for a while longer.
12. Cut the bacon and chicken into small pieces.
13. Mix chicken, bacon, salsa, cilantro, cheese and rice.
14. Fill each achoccha with the mixture.
15. Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Achokča in the form of boats tastes great not only with rice, but also with roasted potatoes or fresh pastries.

Tasty achokchi soup

Do you like soups? You can easily add this unusual vegetable to them too.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of beans
• 250 g of potatoes
• 225 g of cheese, for example mozzarella
• 5 pieces of achokchi
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• caraway seeds
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak the beans overnight, then cook until soft.
2. Lightly fry the onion and coriander in the oil, season with cumin.
3. Add the peeled and chopped potatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the beans and the water they were cooked in, stir and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add the achoccha cut into thin strips and cook for another 5 minutes, until the soup slightly thickens slightly.
6. Add the milk and the cheese cut into pieces, mix thoroughly so that the cheese starts to melt.
7. Season to taste.

Summer salad with achoccha

A great salad option that will refresh and fill you up. Try it as a summer lunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 salad cucumber
• 1 achokcha
• 1 avocado
• 400 g of leafy spinach
• 2 tablespoons of sterilized corn
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 eggs
• salt, pepper to taste

Method:

1. Hard boil the eggs.
2. In the meantime, wash, clean and cut all the vegetables into cubes or strips.
3. Put the chopped vegetables together with the corn and spinach leaves in a bowl.
4. Lightly salt, pepper and mix the vegetables in a bowl. Set aside.
5. Cool the boiled eggs, peel them and cut them into cubes.
6. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pour this dressing over the salad.
7. Let sit for 20 minutes.
8. Garnish with chopped eggs and serve.

Achokchi salad tastes great especially with whole grain bread.

What is achokcha?

Acokča, also known as bell pepper or Mexican cucumber, is a vegetable originally from Central and South America. In recent years, however, it has become more and more popular in our country.

As the Czech name paprika cucumber reveals, it is a plant whose fruits are a kind of combination of cucumber and pepper, both in taste and shape. Its cultivation is very simple, since it comes from a humid and warm environment, it does better in a greenhouse.

How to include achoccha in your diet?

Mexican, Bolivian and Peruvian cuisine provides inspiration for how versatile achoccha can be used in cooking.

• One of the most typical uses is filling it with various mixtures, similar to the case of pepper pods. You can fill it not only with meat, but also with mushrooms or a mixture of vegetables and cheese. You can watch one of the many variants of stuffed achokchi through this video recipe.

CAIGUAS RELLENAS | RECETA PERUANA | Sazón y Corazón

• However, achokchi recipes also include various salads, you can also add it to leche, goulash or soup.
• Last but not least, achokča is also preserved or pickled similarly to cucumbers. It can be pickled alone or in combination with other vegetables.

Why include bell pepper in your diet?

Similar to cucumber, achokcha also contains a large proportion of water and therefore has very few calories. It is therefore also suitable for various reduction diets. As for vitamins, it is rich in vitamin C and group B vitamins, and minerals such as magnesium and calcium can be found in it. Its consumption has a positive effect on high blood pressure and cholesterol and is also recommended for diabetes. It also has a beneficial effect on respiratory diseases.