THIKSANI BAJJI/ MULAGA BAJJI/ CHILLI FRITTERS

Weatherwise its been so dull the last couple of days, continuous rains and still going on.Days like this i crave to have something spicy. Most of the time i would settle for a bowl of hot soup or some spicy curry on the side. But this time when there were some ready-to-be-picked banana peppers in my garden, i just couldnt resist making these spicy Chilli Fritters to go with my hot cup of coffee.No doubt they were absolutely perfect.

Chilli Fritters also brings back fond memories of my childhood tirupati trips with my family.After getting a good darshan dad used to buy us these freshly made fritters from the small food stalls there.They fry these whole without removing the seeds which makes them extremely spicy.To add to the heat we had some delicious hot badam milk to go with it.A Deadly combo indeed.

INGREDIENTS

Banana peppers - 9-10 nos
Oil for deep frying

For the batter:-

Besan - 1 cup
Chilli pdr - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - A big pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Water

METHOD

Clean the banana peppers well. I leave the top stalk as it is to help me hold and i think the final product looks good with the stalk on it. Now using a knife slit the pepper from top to bottom to help remove some of the seeds. Apply some salt and leave it aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients of the batter in a wide bowl.Add water just enough to make a medium thick batter. The consistency of the batter should be such that it holds onto the pepper when dipped.Not too thick though ,that will take way the taste of the pepper.Check salt.

Heat oil for frying.When its ready.Dip the pepper in the batter and slowly drop it in the oil. Fry 2-3 at a time depending or how big your frying pan is.Do not over crowd the pan. Let it cook until brown on all sides. Transfer it to a paper towel inorder to soak the extra oil. Serve warm with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

ENJOY!!!