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A Few Healthy Pickle Recipes – Green Chili Pepper with Chickpea Flour and Spices

3 September 2011 36 Comments

stuffed green chilly pickle

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

stuffed green chilly pickle

Ingredients;

  • 12-15 Athana Green chillies or any fleshy chili pepper
  • 1/2 cup coarsely ground mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tbsp coarsely ground aniseed powder (saunf)
  • 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp dry mango powder (optional)
  • 1 tsp onion seeds (optional)
  • 1 tbsp. rock salt/table salt
  • 1/2 tsp. asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

 

stuffed green chilly pickle

Indian flat bread with stuffed green chilly pickle

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

Stuffed Green chillies with chickpea flour and 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
Stuffed Green chillies with chickpea flour and spices

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 with chickpea flour and spices

Stuffed green chillies

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

Stuffed Green chillies with chickpea flour and spices

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

Stuffed Green chillies with chickpea flour and spices

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

Stuffed Green chillies with chickpea flour and spices

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;

  1. 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.
  2. Refrigerate the low-fat stuffed green chillies for up to a weeks time.
  3. Add a few drops of vegetable oil in the fried chickpea flour and then mix it with other spices for much better results.
  4. Dry frying the chickpea flour is a must, else the stuffing will taste raw and become hard when cooked.
  5. Slice the chillies after stuffing and then cook in oil for bite size portions.
  6. If you add extra oil in the first green chilly pickle it will stay good for many months.
  7. Makes a delightful accompaniment to any meal.

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36 Comments »

  • chinmayie @ love food eat said:

    My mouth is watering right now!! I am a real pickle fan and I am sure this one will taste fabulous! I am going to make these asap and let you know how I like it 😉

  • Baker Street said:

    I absolutely love this! Your pictures are lovely sanjeeta!

  • Sharmilee said:

    Wow tongue tickling pickles!

  • Bhawna said:

    Hey Sanjeetha, its ma altime favourite…I’m a huge fan of this but never tried so far. but now I’ll definitely try this..yummmmy!!!!

  • Spandana said:

    Even I am not able to resist them…. They look super yummy!!

  • Nelly Rodriguez said:

    These pickles look amazing! Thanks for sharing!

  • JustaGirl said:

    Beautiful.

    I just bought some green chilli pickle yesterday… and these look like something I can make any day at home. In fact making pickles at home is something I have to start doing… the bottled ones which you buy are just not that great.

  • sayantani said:

    delicious pickle. will try this.

  • Colleen said:

    Oh my……now THIS I would just love. I am so hungry for one right now!! Thank you for sharing, I am definitely going to try it xx

  • Deepa said:

    Hi Sanjeeta

    Chili pickle looks to be super tasty and inviting.

    Deepa

  • Junia @ Mis Pensamientos said:

    sanjeeta, this looks SOO flavorful!!! and stuffing it inside flatbread? wow! flavor party!

  • mjskit said:

    I’ve had a lot of pickled peppers but nothing like this. These look absolutely wonderful. I’m not familiar with Athana peppers, but apparently you don’t have to peel them. I use a lot of Anaheim peppers and the peeling is inedible. Love these pickles and all the spices!

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @mjskit, just saw your post on chili pepper, yes the peel of this Athana peppers is very thin, soft & edible.

  • Priti said:

    Just love this …and the pics are making me so tempted …

  • Karriann Graf said:

    I do love pickles and these look interesting and delicious! Happy Cooking!

  • Heavenly Housewife said:

    Oh I really like this, I would love to have some with a little raita on the side! Delicious!
    *kisses* HH

  • Vandya said:

    Amazing pickle recipe. I keep buying green chilli pickle bottles filled with tons of oil. I think i’m going to give it a try.

  • Tadka Pasta said:

    Love those chilies! Can’t decide which one to make first. Really appetizing pics!

  • Annapet said:

    This is my kind of good eats! You made me look for Athana pepper seeds for growing! For now, I think Poblanos will work well or perhaps even Anaheim peppers!

    Thank you, Sanjeeta!

  • Priya said:

    Seriosuly am drooling over that incredible pickle..yumm!

  • Barbara said:

    Those flavors must be wonderful! I love your detailed instructions too.

  • Magic of Spice said:

    These look wonderful…great flavors! I love the chickpea stuffed chilis and would love to try them 🙂

  • aipi said:

    There are some dishes that make you want to grab n eat it immediately , this is definitely one of them! ;)Droolworthy clicks!

  • Angie@Angiesrecipes said:

    Looks really delicious and loaded with flavours!

  • Sonal said:

    Thanks for posting these. I was eagerly awaiting these recipes!

    Sonal

  • Jennifer (Delicieux) said:

    Wow, these pickles look fantastic!!! I ‘ve never tried pickles before but I want to now.

  • Sarah Naveen said:

    Nice recipe..looks absolutely delicious!!!

  • FOODESSA said:

    Chili peppers are unfortunately not my tummy’s friend…however, the ingredients for stuffing peppers is superb.

    Sanjeeta…beautifully expressed post. Thank you.

    Flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

  • Juliana said:

    Sanjeeta, this stuffed peppers are sure exploding in flavors…look delicious!
    Hope you are having a great week 🙂

  • vianney/sweet life said:

    great pickles!! loaded with flavors, yummy!

  • Faith said:

    Your stuffed peppers look so healthy and flavorful! I love all the spices in there…what a tasty dish!

  • Tanvi@SinfullySpicy said:

    Love this dish Sanjeeta..My mom makes a similar dish except that instead of stuffing, she throws in the besan as masala!

  • Priya said:

    The pickle looks irresistibly good! I had this once at a Rajasthani restaurant and loved it. The store bought version hardly came close to what I had in mind. I’m going to try it out with banana or Anaheim peppers that I think look similar to the ones you used. Will let you know how they turn out.

  • Gera@Sweets Foods Blog said:

    I can say that this is a “spiced” recipe and so especial for me with chickpea flour, wow 🙂

    Here chickpea flour is used popularly to make faina, and this golden with those chili pepper must be scrumptious!

    Cheers,

    Gera

  • Rosa said:

    Those look really amazing! A speciality I’d love to try.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  • Food News Daily: September 5, 2011 | The Rambling Epicure said:

    […] A Few Healthy Pickle Recipes – Green Chili Pepper with Chickpea Flour and Spices, Lite Bite […]

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