Mirchi Bhajji is a Karachi street food staple and a test of commitment: large green chillies, mild enough to eat whole but with enough residual heat to make themselves known, are stuffed with a spiced potato or onion filling, battered in a thick gram flour coat and deep-fried until the batter is crisp and the chilli has collapsed and sweetened inside. Burns Road in Karachi — historically the great street-food strip of the city — has sold these for decades, and the key is the filling: enough tartness from amchur that the richness of the fried batter doesn’t become cloying.
Zone: Indus Plains
SOURCE: Street food vendor, Karachi Burns Road area, recipe documented 2020
LOCAL NAME: مرچی بھجی
INGREDIENTS
- 8 large mild-to-medium green chillies
- For the filling: 2 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed dry)
- 1 small onion (very finely chopped)
- 1 green chilli (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
- ½ tsp cumin powder (roasted)
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
- For the batter: 1 cup besan (gram flour)
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- ½ tsp salt
- water to make a thick coating batter
- neutral oil for deep-frying
METHOD
- Mix the filling: combine the mashed potato, onion, green chilli, amchur, roasted cumin, red chilli, salt and coriander. Keep it dry.
- Make a lengthwise slit in each chilli, from stem to tip, without cutting through. Remove the seeds if you want less heat. Stuff each chilli generously with the filling. Press the slit closed.
- Make the batter: whisk the besan with ajwain, turmeric, red chilli and salt. Add enough water to make a thick batter that coats the back of a spoon and clings heavily.
- Heat oil to 170°C. Dip each stuffed chilli into the batter, coating it fully. Lower carefully into the oil and fry for 4–5 minutes, turning, until the batter is deep golden and crisp and the chilli has completely softened.
- Drain and serve immediately with tamarind chutney and sliced onion.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Large mild-to-medium green chillies (Anaheim, mild banana, or medium Punjabi green chillies) from South Asian grocers. Besan from any supermarket. Amchur from South Asian grocers. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Anaheim or mild Hatch chillies from most grocery stores, or longer green chillies from South Asian grocery stores. Besan from Patel Brothers or H-Mart. Amchur from Indian grocery stores. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Make a clean slit in each chilli without cutting through — it must remain one piece so the filling is sealed inside by the batter. Close the slit after filling by pressing gently before battering.
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