ingredients
makes 24
2 x 11 oz jars mild whole chillies
1 1/4 cups Cheddar, grated
7/8 cup cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup All purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups cormeal
1 1/4 cups dry breadcrumbs
oil, for deep-frying
sour cream, for serving
method
1. Select 24 large, uniform chillies. Drain well and dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, cut a slit down the length of one side of each chilli. Remove the seeds and membrane.
2. Combine the Cheddar and cream cheese and spoon some into each chilli. Put the flour on a large plate and the beaten egg in a small bowl. Combine the cornmeal and breadcrumbs on a flat dish. Roll each chilli in the flour, shake off the excess, dip in the egg and roll in the crumb mixture to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Re-dip in egg and re-roll in breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for another hour.
3. Fill a deep heavy-based pan one third full of oil and heat the oil to 180°C (350°F). The oil is ready when a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds.
4. Deep-fry the chillies in small batches until golden brown. Drain on crumpled paper towels. Serve with sour cream.
These can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead.
