Friday, September 30, 2011

Rajasthani style spicy banana pepper rings

Patori besani mirch

During one of my visits to India I went to Jaipur to visit my husband's Nanima (maternal grandmother). His aunt cooked a spicy delicious stir fried pepper dish which hit the spot right away. Everything about that dish seemed to be in sharp contrast to what we think should be eaten in the hot dry desert like climate of Rajasthan. Turns out this is the best way to beat the heat and dryness -- eat rich spicy food.
When I came back home I tried to recreate the flavor and texture of what I had eaten and relished, using local peppers. This is what I came up with. Even though banana peppers have a different taste they comes pretty close to the spiciness and texture of the peppers of Rajasthan. Hope you enjoy it as much I do.

Ingredients:
4-5 banana peppers
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tsp besan (gram flour)
salt to taste
pinch hing (asafoetida)
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 - 1 tsp amchoor powder (dry mango powder)
1/4 tsp haldi powder (turmeric)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp fennel (saunf) powder
  1. Wash and dry the peppers. Cut them in even sized rings without removing the seeds to retain the heat. Keep aside. 
  2. Dry roast besan in medium heat constantly stirring to avoid burning for 2-3 minutes till it imparts a pleasant aroma and is roasted to a golden color. Keep aside. 
  3. Heat sesame oil a pan till its moderately hot and add hing followed by the mustard seeds. Let them crackle for 3-4 seconds. Add the peppers. 
  4. Stir fry them at high temperature stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add salt, amchoor, coriander powder, fennel powder and turmeric and mix well. 
  5. Add the roasted besan and incorporate it thoroughly into the pepper rings. Besan will absorb all the water in the pan and thickly coat the peppers. Take out from the heat and taste to see if it is sour enough to your liking. Add more amchoor powder as needed. 
  6. Serve hot with roti as an accompaniment. Goes very well with besan gattey. 
  7. Beware of the spiciness. Banana peppers can be very hot. Enjoy.

Banana Peppers cut in even sized rings

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