These delicious chilli cheese pakoras are a treat for all lovers of green chillies & cheese. These pakoras are just divine with a hot cup of tea in the heavy monsoons & cold winter months.
If you like your pakoras very spicy then retain the seeds. For those who love their chillies but prefer them mild… just fill your stuffing in the empty shells without the seeds! Whichever way you prefer, they taste so good & definitely bring your tastebuds alive.
These pakoras oozing with cheese are great to serve as finger eats at cocktail parties. Just serve them at a party & see them disappear within minutes… Do try these mouth watering cheese stuffed chilli pakoras & believe me you will surely love them just the way we do… 😀
Ingredients :
- 8-10 Bhavnagari Chillies (long & broad chillies with stems)
- 8-10 Processed Cheese Slices
- 3 cups sifted Besan (Chick Pea Flour)
- 1 tbsp. Rice Flour (optional)
- 1 tsp. Red Chilli Pwd. or to taste
- ¼ tsp. Turmeric Pwd.
- ¼ tsp. Ajwain Seeds (Carrom Seeds)
- ¼ tsp. Jeera (Cumin Seeds)
- A pinch of Soda Bicarb/Baking Soda
- A pinch of Papad Khar
- Salt to taste
- Enough Water for the batter
- Refined Vegetable/Peanut Oil for deep frying
Procedure :
In a sufficiently deep bowl, mix together besan, rice flour, red chilli pwd., turmeric pwd., ajwain, jeera, soda bicarb, papad khar & salt to taste.
Add enough water & mix thoroughly with a balloon whisk or a spoon to form a thick, smooth, lumpless pakora dipping batter.
The batter should be sufficiently thick so as to able to coat & hold on/cling to the chillies.
Keep aside for about 5-7 mins. for the batter to rest.
Meanwhile, rinse the chillies in water & wipe dry.
Slit the chillies along its length, keeping both the ends intact.
Gently remove the seeds & the ribs.
Rub just a little salt inside each chilli, taking care that the chillies does not break.
Make sure you do not salt the chillies too much.
Now stuff each chilli with a cheese slice & place on a tray/plate.
Heat sufficient oil in a wok/kadhai till hot.
Dip each stuffed chilli the prepared dipping batter by holding the chilli by the stem & gently lower in the hot oil.
Fry the stuffed chillies in small batches.
Fry them evenly & uniformly on all sides on medium heat till they are well cooked, lightly golden & crisp.
Make sure you drain them completely after they are fried well.
Transfer the pakoras with a slotted spoon on a serving plated lined with absorbent paper/towels.
Serve hot with your favorite chutney or dip.
Enjoy with a cup of hot masala tea.
Tips & Variations :
- In case the batter does not hold well, you may double fry if you wish… To do this first fry the stuffed chillies just partially with a single coat of batter… just drain, let them cool down till just warm; dip them again in the batter & fry till cooked & lightly golden.
- To retain the crispiness & crunch always serve the pakoras immediately while they are fresh & hot.
