Name: Stuffed baby pepper pakoras
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 as a snack
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 300g potatoes Maris Piper or King Edwards, peeled and quartered; 1 tsp fennel seeds; ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 2 tsp dried mango powder (amchoor); 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 green chilli chopped, with the seeds left in; ¼ tsp coarsely ground black peppercorns; 250g baby sweet peppers; 150g gram flour; 1 tsp fine salt; ¾ tsp ground cumin; sunflower oil for deep-frying; coriander relish to serve

A selection of stuffed baby pepper pakoras

300g potatoes
Maris Piper or King Edwards, peeled and quartered
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp dried mango powder
(amchoor)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 green chilli
chopped, with the seeds left in
¼ tsp coarsely ground black peppercorns

250g baby sweet peppers
150g gram flour
1 tsp fine salt
¾ tsp ground cumin
sunflower oil
for deep-frying
coriander relish
to serve

Method

step 1
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for about 15 mins, or until tender, then drain in a colander, tip back into the pan and coarsely crush with a fork.
step 2
Heat a small heavy-bottomed frying pan and toast the fennel seeds for about 30 seconds, stirring all the time, until they release their aroma. Use a pestle and mortar to grind the seeds to a powder.
step 3
Stir the ground fennel seeds, chilli powder, mango powder, ground coriander, green chilli and peppercorns into the crushed potatoes.
step 4
Cut the peppers in half lengthways and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Fill each cavity with some of the spiced potato mixture and set aside.
step 5
Sieve the gram flour and salt into a bowl and stir in just enough cold water to make a smooth batter – aim for the consistency of double cream.
step 6
Heat the oil in a wok or karahi to 180°C, or test the temperature by dropping in a cube of bread – when it browns in 30 seconds, it’s ready. Dip the filled pepper halves in the batter, then deep-fry in batches for 3-5 mins until golden. Drain the pakoras on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt, and serve straightaway with coriander relish.