Large green chilli peppers stuffed with a spiced potato filling, dipped in a gram flour batter and deep fried. The most popular street snack of Jodhpur — very spicy, filling and eaten for breakfast and as a tea-time snack.
Ingredients
8 large fat green chilli peppers (banana peppers or any large mild-to-medium green chilli — about 12 to 15 cm long)
For the potato filling:
3 medium potato — boiled and mashed smooth
1 tsp ginger paste
2 green chilli — finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
2 tbsp coriander leaves — finely chopped
For the gram flour batter:
1.5 cups gram flour (besan)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
a pinch of baking soda
salt to taste
water — about 3/4 cup to make thick batter
oil for deep frying
Method
Prepare the chilli peppers: Wash the large green chillies. Make a slit down the length of each chilli — from just below the stem to the tip — keeping one side intact. The chilli should open like a pocket without breaking. Using a small spoon, carefully scrape out and discard the seeds from inside. Removing the seeds makes the chilli milder — if you prefer very spicy, leave some seeds.
Make the potato filling: Mix the mashed potato with ginger paste, chopped green chilli, red chilli powder, amchur, garam masala, salt and coriander leaves. Mix well. Taste — the filling should be tangy, spiced and well-seasoned. Adjust salt if needed.
Fill the chillies: Take a generous spoonful of the potato filling and push it firmly inside each slit chilli. Press it in so the filling fills the chilli cavity completely and the chilli closes around it. The outside of each stuffed chilli should look almost sealed.
Make the gram flour batter: Combine gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric, baking soda and salt. Mix dry ingredients. Add water gradually — about 3/4 cup — stirring as you pour. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chilli completely and not drip off immediately. Thicker batter than pakoda batter.
Heat oil for deep frying: Pour oil to 5 cm depth in a deep pot. Heat on medium-high. Test: a drop of batter should rise within 2 seconds.
Coat and fry the stuffed chillies: Hold one stuffed chilli and dip it into the batter — coat it completely including the ends. Gently lower into the hot oil. Fry 2 to 3 at a time — do not crowd.
Fry on medium heat: Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning gently with a slotted spoon, until the batter turns golden-yellow all over and is crispy. The filling inside will have heated through.
Drain: Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels for 1 minute.
Make accompanying chutney: Blend 1 cup coriander leaves, 2 green chilli, 1/2 tsp cumin, juice of half a lemon, salt and 2 tbsp water into a smooth green chutney.
Serve immediately: Mirchi vada must be eaten hot and fresh — the batter goes soft within 10 minutes. Serve with green chutney and tamarind chutney.
Note: Mirchi Vada is the breakfast and tea-time snack of Jodhpur — no other city in Rajasthan eats mirchi vada with the same dedication. The shops in Jodhpur open early in the morning and serve mirchi vada all day. The large green chillies used in Jodhpur are often locally grown varieties that are milder despite their size — in Jodhpur you would use the actual spicy local chilli, but for home cooking the large mild variety is more practical.