Mirchi Bajji
Mirchi Bajji is a super delicious Indian tea time snack made from chili dipped in a besan flour batter and deep fried until nicely golden and crispy.
Ingredients
- 5 Bajji Milaga / Banana Peppers
- Oil - For frying
For the stuffing
- 2 tsp Oil
- ½ tsp Jeera
- ⅛ tsp Asafoetida
- ½ large Onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
- ½ tsp Salt (adjust per taste)
- ⅛ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp Red chilli powder
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- 3 medium Potatoes (boil, peel and roughly mashed)
- 2 Tbsp Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
For the batter
- 1 Cup Besan Flour
- ¼ Cup Rice Flour
- ⅛ tsp Asafoetida
- ⅛ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Red Chilli powder
Instructions
- Heat a large pan with oil and add the jeera. Once it starts to change color slightly, add the asafoetida. Then add the finely chopped onions and garlic. Saute until they turn translucent.
- Now, add the salt, turmeric, red chilli, coriander powder and saute for about 30 secs. Add the mashed potatoes to the pan and saute until everything is combined well.
- Finally, add the chopped coriander leaves, mix well and turn off the flame. Leave the mixture to come to room temperature.
- While the stuffing is cooling, we can clean the chili. Make a slit in the middle of the chili. Using a spoon or fingers carefully remove the seeds. Take care not to break the chilli.
- Once the stuffing is at room temperature, take a couple of tablespoons of that mixture and stuff into the chili. Use your fingers to push the stuffing and seal the chili tightly. Keep aside.
- For the batter, in a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients listed under "For the batter". Mix well until combined. Add water little by little and mix well to prepare the batter as shown in pic. I added about ¾ Cup of water.
- Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, turn the flame down to medium-low. Take one of the stuffed chili, dip it into the batter and make sure that the batter evenly coats the chili. Gently slide it into the oil and fry until nicely golden.
- Drain excess oil on a paper napkin and serve hot with a side of chutney.
Notes | FAQ
- Traditionally, bajji milagai, a South Indian Chili which is not spicy is used for this recipe. Since I could not find it here, I used banana peppers, which are similar.
- Make sure to remove all the seeds of the chili. The seeds carry the most spiciness in the chili.
- Adjust the quantity of batter and stuffing based on the size of your chili.
- The batter should not be too thick or thin. If thick, it will form a thick coating around the chili. If thin, the bajji will absorb more oil.
- Adjust the red chili powder quantity as per your taste.
- While deseeding the peppers, be sure to wear a glove or use a spoon.