Large green chilli peppers stuffed with a spiced potato filling, dipped in gram flour batter and deep-fried until the batter is crispy and the chilli inside is softened — the most famous street snack of Jaipur, sold at every corner from morning to night.
Ingredients
8 large, thick green chilli (choose thick-walled, mild-medium variety — not thin bird eye chilli; banana peppers or large jalapeño-style work well)
For the potato filling:
3 medium potato — boiled and mashed smooth
1 tsp cumin seeds — dry roasted and crushed
1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp amchur
1 tsp coriander leaves — finely chopped, salt
For the batter:
1 cup gram flour (besan)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric, a pinch baking soda, salt
water — enough for a coating batter
oil for deep frying
Method
Make the potato filling: Mix mashed potato with roasted crushed cumin, red chilli powder, amchur, coriander leaves and salt. Taste — should be well-spiced and tangy. Divide into 8 portions.
Slit the chilli: Make a long slit down the side of each chilli from just below the stem to the tip. Do not cut completely through — keep it like a pocket. Carefully scrape out the seeds — the number removed determines the final heat level.
Fill each chilli: Push one portion of potato filling firmly into each slit chilli. Close the chilli gently around the filling.
Make the batter: Whisk gram flour with red chilli powder, turmeric, baking soda and salt. Add water gradually — enough to make a thick, smooth, coating batter that clings to the back of a spoon.
Heat oil: Heat oil in a kadai on medium. Test: a drop of batter rises within 2 seconds.
Dip and fry: Hold one filled chilli by the stem. Dip completely in the gram flour batter, coating all surfaces thickly.
Lower into oil: Lower gently into the hot oil. Fry on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the batter is crispy and deep golden.
Drain: Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.
Fry all the mirchi vada in batches.
Serve immediately: Serve hot with green chutney and tamarind chutney. Slice each vada in half before eating to see the potato filling inside.
Note: Jaipur Mirchi Vada is one of the most well-known street snacks of Rajasthan — the pink city of Jaipur has been selling mirchi vada from roadside carts and small shops since it became the capital of Rajasthan. The specific combination of large chilli, thick potato filling and crispy gram flour coating is the Jaipur signature. Different from the mirchi bajji of South India in the filling used — Jaipur uses potato while South India uses just the bare chilli.