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Let’s start the week the zinged-up way with these flavourful stuffed chillies (the bajji chilli) that can be eaten stand-alone or with breads of choice (chapati, paratha etc.). These are loved a lot at home and not at all chili hot, as the name might suggest.

Ingredients:

• 250 gm fresh India thick chilli (bajji)
• 1 cup gram flour / besan
• 1 tbsp red chili powder
• ½ tbsp. garam masala
• ¾ tbsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp amchoor powder (dry mango powder)
• 1.5 tbsp coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of asafetida
• Cumin seeds
• Water
• Oil (preferably mustard oil)
• ½ small chopped green chili (if you like it spicy)

Procedure:

• Half cut the chilli vertically and deseed if you like
• Prepare the stuffing by roasting gram flour for 2 minutes in 2 tbsp oil. Continuously stir it while roasting to avoid any burning or lump formation
• Turn off the gas and make sure there are no lumps in the gram flour. If there are, press them with a spoon nicely to form a coarser powder
• Now add all the spices (except cumin seeds) in it as well as green chilies
• Mix all well and then add water spoon by spoon to make a solidish stuffing. Don’t put too much water, it should be on the dry side
• Now fill each cut chilli with this stuffing mix generously and leave 1 tbsp stuffing mix for adding in the gravy later
• Take 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add 1 tsp cumin seeds to it
• Once they start spluttering, place the stuffed chilies in it and put the gas on medium flame
• Add the remaining mix in the pan and mix gently everything
• Cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes and turn the chillies upside down
• Add 1.5 tbsp water to soften them a bit and cover again for another 1-2 minutes
• They are almost done when you see the chilies changing colour to yellowish tone and they start wrinkling