Fresh chutney tames fiery fried peppers

The first time I made these Indian-inspired fried jalapenos I mistakenly used cornmeal in the batter and they were great.

The second time I made them I correctly used cornstarch in the batter and they were even better.

The peppers made with cornmeal had a slight cornbread-like flavor. The peppers made with cornstarch had a crisper, puffier coating.

The original recipe called for cornflour. Cornflour, depending on where the recipe was written can mean very fine cornmeal — as I first interpreted it — or it can mean cornstarch — as I believe was the recipe’s creator’s intention. According to my Indian-American friends, there isn’t a Hindi name for cornflour. Yet, typically, in British recipes (India was once a British colony) cornflour refers to what we know as cornstarch.

Making these peppers at home will require a trip to the specialty store, or at the very least the specialty-health food aisle at your nearest wellstocked supermarket. But if you’re a fan of jalapeno poppers, I think the extra effort will be worth it.

The original recipe suggested stuffing the peppers with paneer — a mild fresh cheese common in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh — or ricotta. I didn’t have either of those on hand, so I bastardized the dish and stuffed the peppers with cream cheese.

But the cheese really isn’t necessary. It’s the mintchile- garlic yogurt dipping sauce that really makes these peppers stand out. The sauce is fragrant with garlic, spicy with chile pepper, bright with lime, yet cool and soothing from the mint and yogurt.

According to Aysha of The Malabar Tea Room (a food blog) and creator of this recipe, the peppers are traditionally served as a tea time snack with hot chai.

Indian-Inspired Fried Peppers With Mint Chutney

For the peppers: 6 to 8 large jalapeno peppers (can substitute Anaheim or banana peppers) Paneer or cream cheese, for

stuffing peppers, optional 1 cup gram flour also called chickpea or garbanzo bean flour (see note) ¼ cup cornstarch ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cumin seed ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) ¼ to ½ teaspoon coarse salt 6 tablespoons water, plus

more as needed Vegetable oil, for frying

For the chutney:

1 cup mint leaves

2 cloves garlic

1 or 2 hot peppers (I used

Fresno chile), stemmed and roughly chopped ¼ cup plain yogurt

Lime juice, to taste

Salt, to taste

Heat several inches of vegetable oil in a heavybottomed pot over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, prepare the peppers and batter.

If less-spicy peppers are desired, carefully cut a long slit in the side of each pepper. Remove and discard the seeds and membranes. If desired, fill

each pepper with cheese.

In a medium bowl, stir together the gram flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cumin seed, ground red pepper and salt. Stir in the 6 tablespoons water. The batter should be thick and lump free. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, as needed to create a smooth batter that is thick enough to coat the peppers.

When the oil is hot, carefully take 2 teaspoons of the hot oil and stir it into the batter until well-combined.

Dip each pepper in batter until well coated. Holding the pepper by its stem, carefully place the batter-coated pepper into the hot oil. Fry until golden

brown, turning peppers as necessary for even browning. Do not crowd peppers. Repeat with remaining peppers. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with Mint Chutney.

For the chutney: In a food processor or blender, puree mint, garlic, peppers and yogurt. Season to taste with lime juice and salt.

Makes 6 to 8 peppers. Note: Look for chickpea flour on the specialty or health food aisle at well-stocked supermarkets. It is labeled gram or besan flour at Indian grocery stores.