Mirchi Pakora / Dry Masala Stuffed Chili Pepper Fritters

Knowing how much my husband loves mirchi pakoda I made some on friday night when his friends came over for nibbles and drinks. The weather was rainy and the deadly combination of chili pepper fritters with drinks was simply irresistible. Seriously,  these dry masala stuffed mirchi pakodas are absolute dynamite that you should try once at least.

Mirch pakoda is  a popular snack all over India and is prepared in almost every home.  The uniqueness of these fritters is that, though the basic batter to fry is the same, the filling varies from one state to another. In Punjab it is usually stuffed with mashed potato and spices however my husband has no love for potatoes hence I use a stuffing made with seeds, spices and roasted besan (gram flour). Some people prepare without any filling at all.

Special type of long green chilies that have enough room for stuffing are used for this recipe.  I’ll be honest I don’t eat those chili pakodas that are made with flaming hot chili peppers bought from Indian grocery stores. I personally love serrano peppers for their crisp, bright, and biting flavor with citrus undertones.These peppers will not put your mouth on fire. They do have some kick but its tolerable and you still feel good after eating them. These are best eaten as soon as they cool down just a little, as hot as you can take them, basically, the fresher they are, the crisper they taste. However, if they do get cold, place them on a baking tray, and you can reheat them quickly in a preheated 400 F oven for about 5 minutes, turning once, to get back some of the crispness.

These fritters are excellent eaten as a snack with sour cream and ketchup, or as a side dish to a South Asian entree.

Quick Notes

• Wear disposable gloves while working with chili peppers.
• Choose a long variety of  peppers (preferably straight) that are firm, blemish free, fatter  and have a light bite to it, such as serrano.
• Serrano peppers range in medium heat zone of the scoville scale. They do not require the seeds to be removed but before getting started check the level of spiciness, if they are really hot remove the seeds and veins.
• Leave the stalks on, they look good on final product and help to hold while dipping in batter.
• Always sieve besan (gram flour) before measuring and mixing.
• Add water slowly to make a thick, pouring consistency batter (like heavy cream), so that it holds onto the pepper when dipped.
• Add a small amount of rice flour or corn starch to give additional crunch. I add corn starch, because it helps retain the crispiness even after the fritters cool.
• The stuffing is customizable, you can pick and choose your favorite ingredients. I use roasted besan which adds a wonderful depth of flavor. It is hard to toast 1 tbsp of besan. Usually, I store roasted besan in my pantry in an air tight container just like other flours. It can be used as a thickener for  soups, and curries, and also for making cookies. Stay tuned, will share the recipe soon.  So, to roast besan, what you can do is, place 1 cup besan or chickpea flour in a heavy bottomed pan. Cook, stirring continuously on medium heat, until it begins to turn a light tan color and smells nutty. Remove from heat and continue stirring for another minute or two to prevent scorching (the pan will still be hot). Let cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container.
• The ideal temperature for frying any fritters is between 350-375°F.  The thermometer free method of checking is by dropping a small blob of batter in it. If the batter rise quickly to the surface and is covered in bubbles, then the oil is the right temperature. At that point you can slide in the peppers for frying, one at a time, making sure not to overcrowd. Essentially, when you overcrowd the pan, the temperature of the oil drops, and the pakoras won’t cook as evenly. .
• Leftover batter can be used for making  delicious vegetbale pakodas. Add thinly sliced or finely chopped potato and onions, mix them well and drop tiny spoonful’s into the hot oil.
• Leftover spice mix, can be used to season pakoda batter or sautéed veggies for an additional flavor.

I hope you try this recipe and let me know in the comments section how you liked it.  Also snap a photo and share it with me on Instagram or facebook. Be sure to tag it #simpleglutenfreekitchen so I don’t miss it!