Rajasthani Mirchi Bada (Vada). These delicious stuffed chili pakoras are unique to the cuisine of Rajasthan. Perfect for the rainy season.
Rajasthani mirchi bada or vada are all nostalgia because we ate them a lot as children in Delhi. Mom is from Rajasthan and we relished all fried goodness back then. I remember Mom making palak and mirchi pakoras on a rainy day; bread pakoras were a big favorite back then too.
We harvested our homegrown jalapeno peppers recently. They were so fresh and green ! While I pickled some, these mirchi bada came to my mind instantly when I was thinking of ways to cook and enjoy them. Although Mom uses slightly longer chilies in Delhi, these plump jalapenos were perfect, and deliciously hot too!
Since these are such a favorite, Mom makes them always for me early morning for breakfast. They’re so good on cold days with a hot cup of chai. Despite the heat of the mirchi bada, I love dunking them into Mom’s special coriander chutney anyways.
To start with, I make a medium spicy potato filling using boiled and mashed potatoes, some ground spices, and chopped cilantro. I personally love the flavors of ground fennel here. A thick batter is made using besan or gram flour which is seasoned with salt and some spices. The jalapenos or green chilies are slit partially and stuffed with the potato filling. It would recommend deseeding the chilies beforehand. I then dunk the stuffed chilis all the way into the besan batter and thereafter deep-fry them, until golden brown all over.
I like to serve the Rajasthani Mirchi Bada hot with green cilantro and/ or sweet and sour tamarind chutney and masala chai on the side. This is a very basic recipe that is very easy to follow.
Hope you make them soon once the monsoon season arrives.
Rajasthani Mirchi Bada (Vada)
Ingredients
- 8 Large green chilies or jalapenos (medium heat)
- Oil (to deep fry)
For the Besan Batter
- 1 cup Besan/ gram flour
- ½ cup Water (pls adjust as required)
- ¼-½ tsp Red chili powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp Ajwain seeds
- 1 pinch Asafetida
- Salt (to taste)
For the Mirchi Bada Stuffing
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds (coarsely ground)
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp amchur/ raw mango powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- 1 finely chopped green chili
- ½ tsp grated ginger
- 1-2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Clean and dry the chillies/ jalapeños, slit them lengthwise in the middle and remove the seeds.
- In the meantime, peel and mash the boiled potatoes well while they are warm. Mix in 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1/4 tsp coarse ground saunf/fennel seeds, 1/4 tsp amchur powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, salt to taste, 1 finely chopped green chili, 1/2 tsp grated ginger and 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.
- Fill in small portions of this potato mix into the chilies and keep aside.
- Make a thick (pakora) batter of besan, salt to taste, chili powder, turmeric, pinch of ajwain and water as needed. I used just about half a cup.
- Heat oil in a medium sized wok. I used mustard oil as the pakoras/ mirchi bada taste delicious when deep fried in mustard oil.
- Dip the stuffed mirch/ chili/ pepper one by one into the batter and drop gently into the hot oil. Deep fry on medium flame till it cooks well and turns golden brown all over.
- Remove on a kitchen towel and fry the rest. Serve hot with chutney/ sauce of your choice and chai of course.
