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Receta A Few Healthy Pickle Recipes – Green Chili Pepper with Chickpea Flour and Spices
by sanjeeta kk

Oh yes..you read it right..these are healthy pickle recipes infused with flavorful spices, less oil and packed with the goodness of green chili peppers! Rich in vitamin A & C, high in anti oxidants, low in fats & cholesterol the green chillies boast of many minerals as well.

What…not interested..Hmm..then these two pickle recipes will surely make you crave for green chili pepper! Very common in most parts of Rajasthan in India, these pickles are a savior recipe for many (including me) to serve those unexpected hungry guests So at any point of time you could find these two things in my refrigerator, a fresh coriander leaf chutney and this green chilly pickle.

Any meal is incomplete without a spicy Pickle and crispy Poppadum in Rajasthan and your scrumptious meal will be always judged by how good you are in making pickles! My mom’s house is full of ceramic jars bursting out with new pickles every season, most of which goes to some of the relatives nearby or to unexpected guest who would have praised her cooking after a hearty meal at home.

Oil and salt act as a preservative to the pickles and help it stay fresh for long. Most of the pickle varieties have oil floating upto the brim of the jar, which eventually avoid the formation of molds and fungus and increase its shelf life.

My mom makes a pickle which is water based, and we call it as ‘Paani wala Achaar‘! I am not a big fan of pickles but often make some of these oil free versions to go with my stuffed Indian flat breads. These two pickle recipes which is very popular in Rajasthan and need less oil.

Most of the houses in Rajasthan eat plain or stuffed chapatti (Indian flat bread) for their breakfast, pickles make a lovely accompaniment. Since I and my hubby do not like much of oily foods, such Pickles make a rare appearance on our table. But there are a few recipes which require minimal oil and can be a good substitutes for any oil laden pickle.

For making the pickle we require a special kind of chilly which is called Athana green chillies, it is broad & fleshy and is found mainly in Jodhpur city of Rajasthan in India. You could make the same using any other chilly which is slightly broad and fleshy. Normally the chillies are pickled whole with a stuffing of various flavorful spices.

Traditionally these green chillies are pickled along with the seeds for that fiery taste, but I remove the seed for a much mellowed pickle.

Green Chili Pepper Stuffed with Spices

Ingredients;

Method; Wash the green chillies and pat dry them carefully using a kitchen napkin. The chillies should be clean and dry without any traces of water on them.

Make an incision or slit in each green chilly length wise from top to the end part. Remove the seeds with a kitchen knife if you want your pickle to be less spicy and fiery.

Take a large bowl and add all the dry ingredients except the oil add lemon in it and mix it well. Stuff the mixed spice mix in each slit green chilly. Fill the stuffed green chillies in a clean jar. Heat oil in wok and pour over the chillies.

1st version (No-oil) ; Take a clean glass jar and fill it with all the stuffed green chillies. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the pickle and cover with a muslin cloth. Keep this jar in sunlight for 7-8 days before consuming.

2nd version (less oil); The other way is to heat heat the oil in a wok and cook the stuffed green chillies for just about 1-2 minutes, without much stirring so as to avoid the stuffing coming out of the chillies. Fill the same in a jar, squeeze the juice of one lemon and keep it aside for a day for the flavors of spices to get infused in the pickle.

This pickle stays good for about a week when refrigerated. Add extra oil to preserve the pickle for longer time.

Serve the pickle with any Indian flat bread of as an accompaniment to any rice recipes.

Green Chili Pepper Stuffed with Chickpea Flour & Spices

Washed and slit Green chillies

Ingredients;

10 Athana Green Chillies or any fleshy chili pepper

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/2 tsp, garam masala powder

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds powder

1/2 tsp.Chaat masala/dry mango powder/lemon juice

1/4 tsp. turmeric powder

A pinch of asafoetida

2 tsp. vegetable oil

Salt as desired

Spices and chickpea flour for stuffing

Method; Wash and pat dry all the green chillies with a kitchen napkin. Make a slit length wise in each green chilly.

Heat a thick bottom wok and dry fry the chickpea flour (besan) for about 4-5 minutes at medium heat till it changes color to light brown.

Take off the flame and pour the fried chickpea flour in another vessel. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well. At this point you could right away fill the stuffing in the green chillies or add a few drops of plain water in the mix to make it a bit solid. I normally add a few drops of water to make it into a rough dough. Do not add too much water else the stuffing will harden when cooked.

Stuffed green chillies

Fill about a teaspoon of the stuffing in each slit green chilly.

Spicy treats!

Heat oil in a wok and add the green chillies carefully to avoid the stuffing coming out of the chillies. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat and turn to the other side, cook another two minutes and take off the flame.

Stuffed Green chillies with chickpea flour and spices

Serve the stuffed green chillies with plain or any stuffed Indian Flat breads.

See I told you..its hard to resist..a quick bite after the click!

And I don’t need anything else with my chapattis (Indian Flat Breads) when I have this spicy treat in my refrigerator. I even fold the chillies in my normal bread slices and enjoy, while hubby loves this in his office lunch box along with a lentil curry and veggie salad.

Try the green chili pepper pickle with crisp & delicious Minty Cottage cheese & Garlic Indian Flat Breads. You would also like to make this not-so-healthy Garlic Pickle on my other blog

Notes;

You could add or avoid any spice from the above ingredients (cumin powder, chaat masala etc) if you are short of it, yet the result will be great.

Refrigerate the low-fat stuffed green chillies for up to a weeks time.

Add a few drops of vegetable oil in the fried chickpea flour and then mix it with other spices for much better results.

Dry frying the chickpea flour is a must, else the stuffing will taste raw and become hard when cooked.

Slice the chillies after stuffing and then cook in oil for bite size portions.

If you add extra oil in the first green chilly pickle it will stay good for many months.

Makes a delightful accompaniment to any meal.