Mirchi Bhajji / Green Chili Fritters

                    Mirchi Bhajji / Green Chili Fritters

     Mirchi Bhajji aka Guntur Mirpakaya Bajji is most famous street food in Asia’s Chili Capital, Guntur. Stuffed green chili is dipped in gluten free chickpea flour batter and deep fried until it turns golden. Served hot with sliced onions and lemon wedges, this bhajji is mouth watering.

  Guntur holds Asia’s largest chili market…..You can get many chili varieties in Guntur…may be because of that you can find a mirchi bhajji stall in almost every corner of the street. My very favorite Mirchi Bhajji stall is on the main road of Brundavan Gardens….This stall will start from five in the evening and will run till 11 in the night….Standing under the street light, devouring piping hot mirchi bajji with cut onions sprinkled with lemon and red chili powder is truly yummy…..

INGREDIENTS:

10 Green Chilies, check NOTES

1½ cups Chickpea flour/Besan

¼ tbsp. Baking soda

 Salt

Water

Oil for deep frying

FOR STUFFING:

1 tbsp. Carom seeds/Ajwain

Salt

2 tbsp. dry roasted Sesame seeds/Til

PREPARATION:

1.Coarsely grind the ingredients listed under stuffing.

Mirchi Bhajji/ Green Chili Fritters/Mirpakaya Bajji

Take green chilies, slit length-wise (as shown in the figure above) and using the tip of the knife remove the seeds along with thick white vein. Gently stuff the chilies with the above made stuffing with your fingers and set aside.

2.Heat enough oil in kadai, or wide heavy bottom cooking vessel for deep frying.

3.In the meantime, add chickpea flour, salt and baking powder to a bowl and make thick consistency batter by slowly adding water. Whisk gently to avoid lumps and set this aside.

4.Check whether the oil is hot enough to deep fry, by dropping a small ball of batter in the oil. If the batter ball sizzles and reaches the top of the oil, then the oil is ready for deep frying.

5.Dip each of the stuffed green chili in the above made batter and make sure that the stuffed green chili is properly covered with batter.

6.Slowly from the corner of the kadai, drop down the batter covered stuffed chili.

7.Repeat the process and add 2-3 chilies at a time, depending on the size of the kadai/vessel.

8.Mirchi Bhajji/ Green Chili Fritters/Mirpakaya Bajji

On medium heat, fry till they turn nice golden. Remove on to a kitchen tissue or towel using a stainless slotted spoon.

9.Repeat to complete the chilies.

10.Serve hot by garnishing with sliced onions, lemon wedges and fresh coriander leaves.

NOTES:

1.Always choose bright and long green color chilies. Soak the chili in water for 2 minutes and then wipe each chili with dry kitchen towel and lay them to dry for 5-10 minutes.

2.Remember to remove the seeds from the chilies; otherwise you cannot take that fiery heat the green chilies carry.

                                                                                                                    THANK YOU,READERS!