Mirchi Vada
jodhpur's fat green chillies stuffed with spiced potato and fried in gram-flour batter
Allergens in Mirchi Vada: none of the ten listed below.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 8 large pale bhavnagri chillies Green Chillithe big mild ones, roughly 10cm. Thin hot chillies are inedible here
- 500g, boiled, peeled and coarsely mashed Potato
- 200g Besan
- 700ml for deep frying, plus 2 tbsp for the filling Neutral Oil
- 1.5 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp, lightly crushed Fennel Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Asafoetidause compounded-free hing to keep this gluten-free
- 1 tbsp, finely grated Ginger
- 3/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1.5 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1.5 tsp Amchur
- 3 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- 1/4 tsp Ajwainin the batteroptional
- a pinch Baking Sodafor a lighter crustoptional
- about 180ml, for the batter Water
- to taste Salt
Cookware
kadhai, stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Boil the potatoes an hour ahead and let them cool completely. Warm potato makes a wet filling that leaks into the oil.
- Slit each chilli lengthways down one side only, from just below the stem, and scrape out the seeds and white pith with a small spoon. The pith is where the heat sits.
- Mix the batter thick, then let it sit 10 minutes so the besan hydrates and clings.
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp oil, crackle the cumin and fennel, add the hing and grated ginger, and fry 30 seconds.
- Add the turmeric, chilli and coriander powders off the heat, then fold in the mashed potato and salt.
- Cook 4 minutes over medium heat, then stir in the amchur and coriander leaves and cool completely.The filling should taste distinctly sour and slightly over-salted. The chilli and batter mute it.
- Whisk the besan with the ajwain, baking soda, a pinch of salt and enough water to make a batter that thickly coats a spoon and does not run off it.Runny batter slides off the chilli in the oil. It should be the consistency of soft-set honey.
- Pack each chilli firmly through its slit with the potato filling and press the slit closed.
- Heat the frying oil to 175C. A drop of batter should rise steadily and sizzle without browning instantly.
- Dip each stuffed chilli in the batter, turning to coat completely including the ends, and lower it into the oil.
- Fry 4-5 minutes, turning once, until the crust is pale gold and crisp. Do no more than three at a time.Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and the vadas turn greasy.
- Drain on paper and serve hot with tamarind or mint chutney, or pushed into a soft bun as Jodhpur does.
Storage
Best within an hour of frying. Refrigerate up to 2 days and re-crisp in a 200C oven for 8 minutes. Never the microwave, which turns the crust to paste.
Nutrition Low estimate
One serving of Mirchi Vada (277 g) is about 537 calories, or 195 calories per 100 g.
Medium protein: 15 g a serving, 11% of the calories
| Per serving277 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 537 kcal | 195 kcal |
| Protein | 15.1 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 57.2 g | 21 g |
| of which sugars | 8.5 g | 3 g |
| Fibre | 10.0 g | 4 g |
| Fat | 28.6 g | 10 g |
| of which saturated | 3.0 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 23.6 g | 9 g |
Syrup left in the bowl, or batter that yields more than the stated servings, means the real figures are likely lower. Nearest database match used for amchur, asafoetida. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Vegan Indian recipes · Vegetarian Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · No onion no garlic recipes · Rajasthani recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.