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A speckled white plate of golden chilli pakoras with their green stems on, one cut open to show the spiced potato filling, beside a small bowl of green coriander chutney on a butcher-block counter
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Chilli Pakora

Large green chilies stuffed with a spiced potato filling, dipped in a chickpea flour batter and deep-fried until golden. Pick your chili powder to set the heat.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Indian
Keyword Cayenne Pepper, Thai Pepper
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 pakoras
Calories 230kcal

Ingredients

  • 5-6 large green chili peppers such as Anaheim or banana peppers, slit open lengthwise, with membrane and seeds removed
  • vegetable oil for frying

For the batter:

  • 1 cup garbanzo bean flour also sold as besan or gram flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon carom seeds also called ajwain
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder paprika, cayenne, Thai
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the potato stuffing:

  • 3 potatoes medium-sized, peeled and chopped into small cubes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon hing (asafoetida)
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder paprika, cayenne, Thai all work, depending on your spice tolerance
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the potato stuffing

  • In a frying pan over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil, then add the cumin seeds, hing, ground turmeric, and potatoes. Stir often while cooking the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to the potatoes while cooking for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Add the red chili powder of your choice, ground coriander, sugar, garam masala, and lime juice. Stir the potato stuffing to fully coat the potatoes and finish softening to the potatoes. Then remove from heat.

Stuff the chili peppers

  • Slit each chili pepper lengthwise down one side, leaving the stem on, and remove the membrane and seeds.
  • Stuff the chili peppers with the potato stuffing.

Make the batter

  • In a large bowl, combine the garbanzo bean flour, chili powder, carom seeds, salt, and water. Stir to incorporate all of the ingredients into a batter. Add more water as needed to loosen the batter to a consistency that can be used for coating.

Make the chilli pakora

  • Heat enough vegetable oil in a deep pot to fully submerge the chili peppers, to about 350°F.
  • Dip each stuffed chili pepper into the batter, fully coating it.
  • Place the coated chili pepper into the oil and fry it until it’s golden brown, turning as needed. Fry just a few at a time so the oil stays hot.
  • Remove the chili pepper from the oil and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Then repeat the process with the additional stuffed chili peppers.
  • Serve.

Notes

For the red chili powder, consider the heat-level you desire:
Mild: Paprika (use generic paprika, not hot paprika)
Medium: Cayenne pepper powder (or hot paprika)
Hot: Thai pepper powder
Hing is strong. If you’re new to it, start with less and add more next time.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 776mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg