When Bamini and Jayamathi offered me fried whole chillies, I thought they were playing a joke, so I cautiously nibbled at one. Much to my surprise, my mouth didn’t catch on fire and they were really good — crunchy, salty and smoky. Curd chillies are a great accompaniment to any curry and are easy to make, but they take a week to dry in the sun. Pre-dried ones are available from Sri Lankan specialty stores, and these just need to be deep-fried before serving
