Swaadista

If you’re looking for a delightful tea-time snack for friends and family, try these delicious banana pepper fritters, commonly known as bajji in southern India.

These fritters are simple and easy to make, with banana peppers that are battered and deep-fried in oil. The batter is made from a mixture of gram flour (chickpea flour), Kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, water, and finely chopped curry leaves. You can adjust the batter’s consistency depending on whether you prefer thickly battered fritters or a lighter, tempura-like texture.

It takes around 20 minutes to prepare and cook this snack, making it quick and simple. However, I prefer to enjoy these fritters only on special occasions due to their deep-fried nature.

You can also substitute banana peppers with other vegetables like ridge gourd, jalapeños, potatoes, onions, spinach, kale, and more!

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it. Don’t forget to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @swaadista with your creations!

Banana Peppers Bajji/Fritters

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 3

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 3 medium banana peppers
• oil I prefer using cold-pressed peanut oil for this recipe since it is high-heat cooking

For the batter:

• 1/3 cup gram flour or chickpea flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 2 curry leaves finely chopped
• salt to taste
• water as per the desired consistency of bajjis. Check step 2 under instructions for more details.

Method

 

1. Prep Banana Peppers: Wash banana peppers and pat them dry. Then cut them into quarters or halves, remove the seeds neatly and discard them (as some of them could be really spicy)
2. Make the batter: Add gram flour, rice flour, red chili powder, cumin powder, salt, and curry leaves to a mixing bowl and mix well.

   Then add water in small amounts and mix well to make a lump-free batter.

   If you are unsure whether you prefer a thickly battered bajji or a thinly battered one, start by making a thick batter. Dip a piece of banana pepper into it, coat it well, then deep-fry and taste-test. If you like it, keep the same batter consistency. Otherwise, thin it out by adding a little more water.
3. Heat the oil: Heat enough oil in a medium-sized pan or skillet over medium heat to deep-fry battered banana peppers.
4. Deep-fry: Dip each slice of banana pepper in the prepared batter, then gently and carefully drop it into the oil. In a medium-sized pan, three or four pieces can be deep-fried at a time.

   Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown. Then carefully remove each piece from the oil and place them on a paper towel to blot excess oil.

   Repeat this step until all the pieces are deep fried.
5. Serve: Serve yummy banana pepper bajji hot with a side of Indian masala tea, or simply with tomato ketchup or mint chutney. Enjoy!

Still hungry?