Ingredients

1. Long green chilli/bajji chilli - 4

Batter

2. Gram flour – 1 cup
3. Turmeric powder (optional) – 1/4 tsp
4. Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp
5. Salt - as per taste
6. Water – 1/2 cup

Stuffing (putanala pappu podi)

7. Roasted gram – 1/3 cup
8. Chilli powder – 1 tsp
9. Cumin powder – 1 tsp
10. Salt - as per taste
11. Tamarind (thick concentrated, shop bought) – 1/2 tsp

Garnishing/onion salsa

12. Onion (medium) - 1
13. Chilli powder – 1/4 tsp
14. Coriander leaves (chopped) – 1 tbsp
15. Salt - as per taste
16. Lemon juice – 2 tsp

Method

For the stuffing (pappu podi)

1. Add all the ingredients in a chutney or coffee mixer and grind to powder. Keep it aside.
2. Make a slit length-wise on the chillies (do not make it half). Remove some of the seeds if you want to reduce the heat or if your chilli is hot.
3. Stuff the chillies with the putanala pappu podi and keep it ready.

Batter

4. In a medium bowl, combine all the batter mixture - gram flour, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and salt. Add water little at time to make a thick paste. The consistency of the batter should be such that the batter should coat the chilli well and hold it.

Garnishing or onion salsa

5. Take a bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix well and keep it ready.

Deep frying

6. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. To check if the oil is hot enough, put a drop of the batter into the oil. The batter should rise to the top quickly.
7. Dip the chilli bajji in the batter making sure it’s coated on all sides. Gently drop it into the oil. Keep the flame to medium (not high heat).
8. After a few minutes, when it is light golden in colour, turn the chilli bajji. Occasionally turn it until it is evenly golden in colour.
9. Repeat with the remaining chilli bajjis.
10. When the stuffed chillies are cooked, you can serve immediately and enjoy.
11. You can slit the bajji length-wise and garnish with pappu podi and few chopped onions. Enjoy with a squeeze of lemon.
12. For cut mirchi bajji
13. Take one stuffed chilli, cut into pieces as shown in the picture. If you want, you can deep fry the cut pieces again. It will take 1 to 2 mins only. I did for 2 chillies to get a different texture and taste. It is optional.
14. Garnish the cut mirchi with pappu podi, onion and chilli mixture and a few drops of lemon juice on top.
15. Serve immediately and enjoy this cut mirchi bajji - restaurant style.

Notes

1. After mixing the batter with soda, keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Refer my putanala pappu podi recipes - you can use any of them.
3. Refer my other chilli bajji recipes and you can prepare as per taste.
4. The onion mixture has lemon juice, so while garnishing squeeze as per taste.
5. Use long green chillies, which are light in colour or banana chilli or any chilli which has the taste of peppers and not hot.
6. The stuffing can be wet or dry. If you want it to be wet, add little water to make a thick paste. However, I prefer my stuffing to be dry.