JODHPURI MIRCHI VADA

Jodhpur, known as Blue City of Rajasthan, is rich in cultural heritage.  The graceful palaces,  monuments and temples strewn throughout the city bring alive the historic grandeur of this city.  This city offers multiple shopping options but to the connoisseur of good food this city is a heaven.

One afternoon we had just a gourmet samosa and a glass of sweet lassi(butter milk) and that was a filling lunch. I have eaten samosas from the different parts of the world but Jodhpuri samosa was par excellence. One night we had a Rajasthani thali for dinner. There were at least twenty dishes in my thali(plate) and it was hard to tell which dish was better than the other.  

One dish which left my taste buds tingling for more was a Jodhpuri Mirchi Vada.  I am not too crazy about peppers or Pakoras (dumplings made of chickpea flour) but this Mirchi Vada was a combination of both, yet its heavenly taste is etched in my memory.

I knew I had to recreate that dish in my own home. So this afternoon I exactly did that.

My husband who often judges my dishes rather critically, said : Your Mirchi Vada is even better than the one we ate at Jodhpur.  That compliment has inspired me to share the recipe on my blog.

So let us create the magic of gourmet Mirchi Vada Jodhpuri style.

Ingredients:

10 or 12 banana peppers,  2 cups besan (chickpea flour), 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/8 tsp hing(asafoetida), 1 tsp dry mint leaves powder, salt to taste and water as needed,  a pinch of baking soda.  Oil for deep frying.

For Stuffing:

3 medium potatoes, 1/8 tsp hing, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds,  1 tsp cooking oil, salt to taste and mix of spices and 1/2 tsp of amchoor powder(dry mango powder)

Mix of Spices: 

Dry roast and ground the following spices to be added to the stuffing.

1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel, 1 tbsp coriander seeds and two whole red peppers

Method:

Wash and dry peppers and slit them vertically. Take out the seeds and put them aside.

Make batter with besan, turmeric, hing, salt and mint leaves. Add water but make sure batter is not too thick or not too thin. Mix well and leave it covered for 15 minutes.

In the meanwhile, prepare the stuffing for the peppers.  Boil, peel and mash potatoes.  In a pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds and hing. Once crackling of cumin stops, add mashed potatoes, ground spices and salt. Mix them well. Sauté on medium heat. Once it is well blended, turn off the flame and add amchoor powder. Mix it. Let it cool off.

Stuff this mixture into the already slit peppers. 

Wisk the batter one more time and add a pinch of baking soda. Mix well. Heat the oil for deep frying. Now dip every pepper into this batter and put in the very hot oil for deep frying till they turn golden brown.  Take them out on a paper towel so that excess oil drains out. 

Enjoy hot with green chutney or ketchup.