Chili Bajji (Mirchi bajji )

Preparing Time : 10 Minutes

Cooking Time :15 Minutes 

Cuisine : South Indian (Andhra)

Yummy and spicy fritters with fresh , crispy onions ,lime juice and coriander stuffed which invite you in each bite . This bajji is a perfect brunch esp on a drizzling evening , but can be eaten at any time in the year .

I always wondered how  the road side vendors offer such  a airy and crispy  outer coat to a bajji and finally figured out the trick , while preparing these spicy fillers. The trick lies in deep frying them twice .

You can select banana or jalapeno chilies according to your spice tolerance , but be sure to remove the seeds while preparing the fritters to avoid too much hotness esp for jalapenos . 

Ingredients:

Banana Peppers 6
Anise seeds 2 table spoon
Chick Pea Flour (Coarse ) 1/2 cup
Baking Soda 1 pinch
Red Chili Powder (optional) 1 teaspoon
Lime juice 4 table spoons
Finely Chopped Coriander 1/4 cup
Finely Chopped Onions 1/4 cup
Salt as required
Chat masala 2 pinches
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

Step 1: Slit the peppers (you can core the seeds if necessary)  , and fill in a little of anise seeds in each peppers .

Step 2: In a bowl take the flour add sufficient water along with salt and baking soda and make a thin consistency batter (you can toss in a dash of chili powder if desired )

Step 3: Heat oil , when hot and not smoking , dip each chili in the batter ,such that it is thinly coated and fry until reaches light golden brown. Now bloat extra oil on a tissue paper and fry the remaining chilies

Step 4: Now , when all chilies are done , dip them back in the remaining batter and fry again until they reach golden brown.

Step 5:Let the fritters cool a little , in a bowl mix in onions, coriander, salt, chili powder , chat masala along with lemon juice . Now slit the chilies and stuff them with the onion mixture . Finally toss some chat masala on top & serve immediately  

Chef's Notes:

• Using coarsely done chick pea flour gives the best texture , than finely done flour, if you don't get this type of flour opt for peas flour or sweet pea flour which gives the same texture 
• I used banana chilies , which are a little mild and very tender with a lots of moisture , so be sure to fry them at high temperatures, if not the peppers become mushy with loads of moisture instead of crispy
• If planning to eat later , you can fry the chilies only once , and then before serving follow the steps 4 to 5
• You can add chopped tomatoes if desired while stuffing the chilies
• You can stuff the chilies with  a mixture prepared from chickpea  flour along with some water salt, sugar , anise seeds  and lime juice ,before frying , this makes a different style of bajjis which are a little spicy 
• You can add rice flour  while making the batter for extra crisp texture .