Mulaku Bajji (Jalapeño Fritters with Mint Chutney)
Aysha | The Malabar Tea Room
- Serves
- 7 fritters
Served with a mint chutney, these fritters have the perfect balance of textures and flavors: the spicy pepper against the cool mint yogurt, crispy and soft at the same time. It makes for an excellent tea time snack with a cup of hot chai.
Tips:
- If you'd like to make it less spicy, gently slit open the peppers and take out the seeds. Soak in cold water for a few minutes and then pat dry.
- To check if your oil is hot enough, drop a little batter in. If it puffs up, you're ready to start frying.
- If you'd like to "fancy it up," consider stuffing the peppers with either paneer or ricotta.
Ingredients
For the bajji (fritters):
- 7 jalapeños (roughly 250 grams)
- 1 cup gram flour
- 1/4 cup corn flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup water, plus more if needed
- 4 cup vegetable oil
- Salt, to taste
For the mint chutney:
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 green chile
- 4 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 splash lime juice
- Salt, to taste
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Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
To make the bajjis, remove the stalks from the jalapeños, drain the liquid out of them, and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients, except for salt.
- Step 3
Pour water into the dry ingredients, and stir. The batter needs to be thick, with no lumps. Add more water if needed.
- Step 4
Heat the oil in a deep-bottomed pan over medium heat.
- Step 5
Once hot, carefully take 2 teaspoons of the oil from the pan and mix into the batter until well-combined.
- Step 6
Dip each jalapeño into the batter, until well-coated, then slowly lower into the pan with oil.
- Step 7
Using this method, deep-fry each pepper until golden. Transfer onto a paper towel.
- Step 8
To make the chutney, grind the mint leaves, garlic and chiles to a fine paste. Stir in the yogurt, lime juice, and salt.
- Step 9
Serve the fried peppers with the chutney.