Rajasthani Bharwa Hari Mirch /बेसन भरी हरी मिर्च (Stuffed Green Chilies)

Besan Stuffed Green Chilies

Besan (Black Gram Flour) Stuffed Green Chili

Big fat green chili serves varied purpose in Indian culinary. Make pakodas, cut and add to salad to give lovely flavor, Make pickle out of them with lemon and ginger or make stuffed vegetable. Each and every above said variation is mouthwatering. I love the vegetable made by stuffing it with besan. The chili stuffed with besan lasts in the fridge for 10-15 days also. As a side dish it is one of my favorite. I prefer making changes according to my taste, and this recipe is a fine example of it. In Rajasthan potatoes are not added and the chilies are much more than I prefer. So this is my version of Rajasthani Bharwa Mirch.

Preparation Time: 10 min.

Cooking Time: 40-50 min

Servings: 10-15 Chilies

Ingredients Required for making Stuffed Green Chili:

• 250 gm. Big fat Green chilies

• 150 gm. Besan (Gram flour)

• 3 Medium size Potatoes

• 1 Teaspoon Red chili Powder

• 1 Tea spoon Garam masala

• 100 gm. Onions (2 medium size onions)

• 4-5 Cloves of Garlic

• 2-3 cm. Piece of Ginger

• 1/2 Tea spoon Turmeric

• 1 Tea spoon Amchur (Dry raw mango powder)

• Salt to taste

• 25 ml. Cooking oil

Direction for making Stuffed Green Chili:

• Wash the chilies and towel dry them.

• Remove the stalk from the chili slit them lengthwise from one side keeping the other side intact.

• Carefully Remove the portion holding seeds and discard.

Green Chilies Cleaned and slit from one side De-seeded

• Peel and cut the onions very fine.

• Peel and cut garlic fine.

• Grate the ginger.

• Boil the potatoes.

• Peel and mash the potatoes to small pieces.

• Roast the besan in a thick bottom wok till it starts giving out nice smell and the color changed to very light brown.

Roasted Besan (Black gram flour)

• Heat 5 ml. oil in a thick bottom wok till smoking hot.

• Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

• When the seeds have spluttered then add finely cut onions and lower the flame.

• Add onions to the seasoning and cook on low flame till transparent (Approximately 4-5 min.).

Onion cooked to transparent state

• Add finely cut garlic and grated ginger and cook with continuous stirring till garlic gains brownish pink color.

• Add roasted besan and mix nicely.

• Cook for 2 min. only with continuous stirring.

Onion and roasted besan cooked for 2 min.

• Add boiled mashed potatoes and mix.

Boiled Mashed Potatoes added to the besan onion mixture

• Add

• Salt

• Red chili powder

• Turmeric powder

• Amchur powder (Dried raw mango powder)

• Garam masala

• Mix nicely so that the spices get mixed uniformly.

Spices added to roasted besan Potato mixture

• Sprinkle 20 ml. water and mix.

• Cover and switch off the gas.

• Let the filling cool in the wok. The flavor of spices will mix nicely in the filling and the filling will remain moist.

Filling ready for stuffing the Green chilies

• When the filling comes to room temperature, stuff each green chili with the filling. Keep pressing the filling while stuffing the chili.

• When all chilies are stuffed wrap each chili individually with thread so ensure the filling does not come out during cooking.

Green chilies stuffed with besan filling and wrapped with thread

• Take 15 ml oil in a thick bottom wok and heat it.

• When the oil is hot put stuffed chilies one by one in the oil.

• Lower the heat and give a gentle stir so that oil gets coated on all sides of all chilies.

Stuffed Green Chilies put in hot oil

• Cook on low flame for 2 min without covering and turn the chilies gently.

Oil coated on all chilies and being cooked on low flame

• Cook for 2 min. more without covering and then sprinkle 4-5 ml water and turn the chilies.

• Cover and cook for 5 min. with occasional turning of chilies.

• Turn the chilies, cover and cook for 10 min on low flame again.

• Remove the cover and cook with turning on high flame for just two min.

• Stuffed green chilies are ready to be served.

Spicy Stuffed Green Chilies waiting to be served

• Remove the thread wrapping before serving.
• If you do not want tyo go through the hassel of wrapping and unwrapping the thread from the Bharwa mirch then cook it on the Non-stick tawa (Non-stick iron plate) it will require just 1 ml. of oil and even the exposed side of mirch can be made crisp and brown.

Bharwa Mirch cooed on Tawa

• Enjoy besan stuffed green chilies in any meal with whatever you like it goes well with almost everything.

Besan Stuffed Green Chilies

Thread wrapping removed before serving

Tips:

• Make sure the chilies are slit from only one side the other side should be intact.

• Besan (Black gram flour) should be roasted on low flame to get the correct state of roasting, high lame roasting can cause burning of besan.

• Take care while turning the chilies else the stuffing may spill out.

• Do not sprinkle too much water. Water is sprinkled to maintain moisture in the stuffing.

Suggested Variations:

• If the chilies are very fat then instead of side slit they can be cut from the top and the seed can be removed from the top. Once the stuffing is done then the cap removed from the top can be gently inserted in the stuffed chilies. Wrapping with thread will not be required.

• Potatoes can be replaced with coarsely ground and soaked Nutrela (coarse powder of chunks of soya beans). If stuffing is prepared without potatoes then the chilies can last for a month also in the fridge without getting spoiled.

• Finely cut green chilies, coriander sprigs can be added to the stuffing.

• Capsicum can be taken instead of fat thick green chilies.