Whether you are a visitor travelling across South India or a local bustling through a frenetic day in the life of Mother India, street food is often the easiest fuel supply to keep the human engine running. We spied these Green Chilli Fritters at a stall across from a monument we were visiting in Kochi.
The fragrance of these chana (chickpea) flour encased green chillies hitting hot oil drifted our way like a welcome lifeline. We’d had a busy day touring and our noses had a conference with our tummies and demanded us to stop and eat something. Green Chilli Fritters to the rescue.
We hope you love them as much as we do. And, we have a few tips for you: sifting the chana flour will produce a smooth batter. Also, cook these outside if you can. That way the deep-frying odours won’t linger inside your home.
Green Chilli Fritters Recipe
Yields 10 - 12 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups chana flour, sifted into a bowl
¾ cup water
1 Tablespoon finely cut coriander leaves
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
1 teaspoon Green Chilli Paste or Sambal Oelek
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ajwan (omum) seeds – optional
40 whole hot chillies – jalapeño or Serranos – cut a slit in their sides
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Sunflower oil for deep-frying
Method
Whisk the chana flour and water to form a thick pancake-like batter.
Stir in the coriander leaves, turmeric, cumin, garlic, ginger and chilli pastes, black pepper, salt and ajwan (if desired) and set aside for a few minutes.
Stir in the whole hot chillies – adjusting the moisture with a few additional drops of water so the mixture has the consistency of a thick cake batter.
Stir in the baking powder just before you are ready to start frying.
Heat the oil in a wok or deep fryer set to 375°F. Tip: If you don’t have a thermometer, the oil is ready when a drop of water sizzles immediately when splashed in the oil.
Add 1 Tablespoon of the hot deep fryer oil to the batter and mix thoroughly but gently just before frying each of the chilli fritters.
Fry 8 to 10 fritters at a time and cook until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel lined baking tray.
