Kathiyawadi bharela Marcha is a delicious Gujarati side dish made with hot green chilies stuffed with a slightly spicy, sweet, and tangy masala. The flavorful stuffing is prepared with roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, sev, and a blend of Indian spices, giving the chilies a delicious combination of flavors and textures.
In this recipe, I have shared two delicious ways to prepare stuffed chilies. The first is the traditional Bharela Marcha, where the chilies are stuffed and coated with the flavorful masala. The second is Mirchi Pakoda, where the stuffed chilies are coated in a gram flour batter and fried until crispy and golden.
This recipe is simple to make and adds a burst of flavor to any meal. Kathiyawadi Bharela Marcha is especially popular in Gujarati households and is commonly served as a side dish with chapatis, dal, rice, or Gujarati kadhi. It is a perfect choice when you want to add something spicy, tangy, and flavorful to your everyday meal.
Tips for Making Perfect Bharela Marcha
- Choose the right green chilies: Choose medium-sized, fresh green chilies for making bharela marcha. Slit the chilies lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and inner veins to reduce their spiciness. If the chilies are very spicy, you can rub a mixture of salt and lemon juice inside the chilies and leave them for a few minutes. Alternatively, soak the prepared chilies in salted hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain and pat them dry before stuffing.
- Prepare a flavorful stuffing: I prepared the stuffing using roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, Ratlami sev, and regular Indian spices. The combination gives the stuffing a delicious nutty, crunchy, spicy, sweet, and tangy flavor. If you do not have Ratlami sev, you can use papdi gathiya, chavanu (namkeen), or roasted besan instead. The stuffing should have a balanced spicy, sweet, and tangy taste, which gives these Gujarati-style stuffed chilies their characteristic flavor.
- Sauté the stuffed chilies properly: After stuffing the chilies generously with the prepared masala, sauté them in a simple tadka until they are cooked and slightly tender. Cooking the stuffed chilies on medium-low heat allows the masala to become flavorful while the chilies cook evenly without burning.
- How to serve bharela marcha: Bharela marcha tastes best when served hot or warm. They make a delicious Gujarati side dish and pair especially well with bhakhri, khichdi, dal-rice, or kadhi. The spicy, tangy, and nutty stuffing adds a wonderful burst of flavor to a simple everyday meal.
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Kathiyawadi bharela marcha recipe | bharwa mirch | stuffed mirchi pakoda
Ingredients
For stuffing
- ½ cup peanuts
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup ratlami sev
- 1 tbsp garlic chutney
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
- ¼ tsp hing
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp oil
For kathiyawadi garlic chutney
- 10-12 garlic cloves
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp Kashmir red chilli powder
For bharela marcha
- 300 grm or 20-25 green chilli
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Stuffed green chilli
- ¼ cup left over stuffing masala
- 2-3 tbsp water
- Some coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For marcha bhajiya batter
- 1 cup besan
- Pinch of hing
- ¼ tsp ajwain
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of baking soda
- ½ cup water or as required
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Making Stuffing for Bharela Marcha
- In a pan, add ½ cup peanuts and roast them lightly on medium flame. Then, add ¼ cup sesame seeds and roast them until fragrant. Transfer the mixture to a plate and let it cool completely.
- Once cooled, transfer the peanut-sesame mixture to a mixer jar. Add 1 cup Ratlami sev and pulse-grind the mixture until it is coarsely ground. Keep it aside.
- Now, in a mortar and pestle, add 10–12 garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp red chilli powder. Crush everything together to make a coarse garlic chutney. Keep it aside.
- Then, in a mixing bowl, add ½ cup finely chopped onion, ½ cup chopped coriander leaves, the coarsely ground peanut mixture, 1 tbsp prepared garlic chutney, salt to taste, ¼ tsp hing, ½ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tbsp oil.
- Mix everything well until all the ingredients are combined. The stuffing masala is ready.
- Take 300 g or 20–25 medium-sized green chillies. Make a slit lengthwise in the centre of each chilli and remove the seeds and veins.
- Stuff each green chilli generously with the prepared masala. Keep the stuffed chillies aside.
Making Bharela Marcha
- In a pan, add 4 tbsp oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, and 1 tsp cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
- Then, carefully add the stuffed green chillies and sprinkle a little salt over them. Fry the chillies on high flame for about 2 minutes.
- Now, gently flip the green chillies and sprinkle any leftover stuffing masala over them.
- Sprinkle a little water over the chillies, cover the pan, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Finally, sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and add 1 tbsp lemon juice. Mix gently so the masala coats the chillies well.
- Kathiyawadi-style Bharela Marcha is ready. Serve it hot with bhakhri or khichdi.
Making Marcha na Bhajiya (Mirchi Pakoda)
- In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup besan, a pinch of hing, ¼ tsp ajwain, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste, and a pinch of baking soda. Mix well.
- Gradually add ½ cup water, or as required, and prepare a medium-thick, smooth, and pouring-consistency batter.
- Heat oil for frying. Pour some batter into a glass, then dip or coat the stuffed green chilli with the batter and carefully add it to the hot oil.
- Fry the bhajiya on medium flame until they become crispy and golden brown from all sides.
- Serve the marcha na bhajiya hot with chutney or besan kadhi.
Notes
- Roast the peanuts on a low flame until they become crispy. This enhances their taste.
- The quantity of sesame seeds (til) should be half the quantity of peanuts.
- Ratlami sev adds a delicious tangy taste to the masala.
- You can use chavanu, gathiya, or roasted besan instead of Ratlami sev.
- Grind the peanut, sesame seeds, and sev mixture using the pulse setting. Do not grind it into a fine powder.
- The masala tastes best when it has a balanced combination of spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors.