Name: Mirchi Vada
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 6 large mild green chillies, about 200 g; 300 g potatoes, boiled and mashed; 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed; 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder); ½ tsp chilli powder; 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander; ½ tsp salt; 100 g gram flour (besan); ½ tsp ajwain seeds; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp salt; 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda; 120 ml cold water; 150 ml vegetable oil, for frying

Mirchi Vada

Large mild green chillies stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in a gram flour batter and cooked until crisp.

50 min total Serves 6 servings Medium

Why This Is Worth Making

It looks fierce and tastes mild, which is the surprise of mirchi vada. The chillies used are large, long and thin-skinned, a variety grown for its mildness, so a stuffed pepper bites back only a little. Banana peppers, Turkish long green peppers or Padron-sized chillies give the right idea.

Slit each chilli along its length and take out the seeds and white pith, where most of the heat sits. Rinse the inside with a spoonful of vinegar or salted water for a milder result. If you want heat, leave some seeds in.

The filling is boiled potato mashed with fennel, amchur, coriander, chilli powder and salt. Press it firmly into each chilli so there are no gaps, and tidy the edges.

The batter is gram flour with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, turmeric and ajwain, thick enough to coat a spoon. Dip each chilli, let the excess drip off, and lower it into oil at 180°C / 355°F. Fry for 4 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden. Serve at once, split open, with a chutney.

Build the Meal Around Mirchi Vada

Tamarind chutney
Mint chutney
Masala chai
Pyaaz kachori

Making Mirchi Vada, Step by Step

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Slit each chilli lengthwise and remove the seeds and pith.
Mix the potato with the fennel, amchur, chilli powder, coriander and first 1/2 tsp salt. Press the mixture firmly into each chilli.
Whisk the gram flour, ajwain, turmeric, second 1/2 tsp salt, bicarbonate of soda and water to a thick batter.
Heat the oil in a small, deep pan to 180°C / 355°F. Dip each chilli in the batter and fry in batches for 4 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve split open.

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A Few Notes

Wear gloves when you handle the chillies.

Dry the chillies well before stuffing.

Use a spoon to tidy the batter around each chilli.

If You're Missing Something

Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.

Storing and Reheating

Best eaten at once. Keeps in the fridge for 1 day and crisps in a hot oven.

Mirchi Vada Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

Vegetarian Vegan No Added Sugar