Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
12 large jalapeños
100g Staffords All Purpose Batter
180g / 180ml ice cold sparkling water
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
Filling:
150g bacon, cooked crispy and diced
250g cream cheese
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
100g cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup chives, thinly sliced
1 tsp Mexican Spice Mix / Taco Seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh lime wedges, for garnish
Method:
To prepare the jalapeños:
Slice each one in half (taking care to keep both halves together for reassembly once filled) and remove the seeds and veins. Make sure to leave the stem attached so have something to hold onto when dropping the poppers into the batter and oil.
For the filling combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well until homogenous.
Fill both halves of both peppers with the filling and squeeze them back together.
With your fingers, wipe away any excess around the seam.
Preheat oil to 180˚C.
In a bowl whisk together the Stafford’s All Purpose Batter and sparkling water.
Place the flour and milk in separate bowls.
Dip each filled pepper into the milk and then roll in the flour until fully coated.
Dip each popper into the batter and make sure there is an even thin coating around the entire pepper. This step is very important, if there are any spots without batter it will create a hole and allow the filling to escape into the oil.
Fry each popper for about 3-5 min or until deeply golden brown.
Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.
Serve hot with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and fresh lime wedges.