Mirchi Pakora, Stuffed Green Chilli Fritters

The luscious, long, shiny green chilli peppers are one of the most gorgeous gifts of nature and I can’t imagine my life without them. I use them abundantly in my kitchen, from garnishing the curries to pounding them with herbs for delicious green chutney. They are easy to pickle in a variety of ways too. In the Hyderabadai cuisine an entire curry is prepared with green chillies in a sour tamarind sauce.

Now we South Asians really enjoy pakoras and fritters of all kinds as yummy snack with the afternoon chai, specially in the rainy season. The varieties have no end, almost any vegetable can be dipped into the gram flour batter and fried to crispy perfection. Even hard boiled eggs, paneer cheese, chicken, shrimps and fish make very delicious pakoras.

Green Chillies are perfect candidates for making Mirchi Pakora or stuffed fritters. Choose a variety that’s bigger in size and has more room for stuffing; poblano and jalapeños are good choices but you can choose any from the local variety. I suggest removing the seeds strongly before stuffing them because the purpose is enjoying them not burning the tongue.

Mirchi pakoras make great addition to a large platter of tapas or starters, as familiar but unusually prepared pick-me-up food. There are a number of variations to the stuffing, but this one is my favourite. We can fill them up with a number of ingredients – like just some herbs and spices pounded together, cheeses, leftover curry masala, boiled mashed eggs and so on! Mashed potatoes not only help bind the stuffing together but also give a gooey softness to each bite that contrasts very well with the crispy fried chilli peppers.

1 medium potato
1 small onion
a small bunch coriander
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
salt to taste

6 large green chilli peppers
1/2 cup gram flour (besan)
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
a pinch baking soda
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Peel and cut potato into tiny cubes. Boil till done. Drain and mash.

Finely chop onions and coriander. Add them to the potatoes. Add salt, red Chillies and cumin. Mix thoroughly.

Slit the Chillies lengthwise but leave them connected at the stems. Remove the seeds to reduce heat.

Fill the potato filling into the cavities of the green chilli peppers. Press them close.

Mix gram flour, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper, cumin and baking soda in a bowl. Gradually add water to make a thick paste. Batter should be thick enough to completely coat the chillies, slightly thicker than the pancakes batter.

Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan on medium high. Dip the Chillies into the batter and fry in hot oil till golden and crisp on outside.

Serve hot with your favourite dip.

Serves 3