Kashmiri Red Chilli, also called Kashmiri Lal Mirch, adds a very dark rich colour and mildly spicy flavour to food while not contributing much to make the dish heavily spicy or pungent.
India is the largest producer and consumer of Kashmiri Red Chilli. As the name suggests, this type of chilli is grown only in Kashmir.
It is a well-known fact that most Indians love spices. More spices, more flavours – no, it is not always the case for us. But we, Indians, definitely detest the bland taste.
Kashmiri red chilli is among those spices that don’t make dishes spicy but give them a rich, royal look and taste. They are not known for hotness, rather the red look that they lend to any recipe.
If you cannot tolerate the hotness of chillies but love the red look, these are the perfect delights you should always have in your pantry.
Appearance and presentation of food are no less important than taste. Remember we always feast our eyes on food. If look and smell tease our temptation, then only we taste it with our tongue.
And this is why we are so much in love with Kashmiri Red Chilli. This ingredient adds gorgeous colour and flavour to food.
You can cut them into small pieces for future use or make a paste of it in a grinder. It is also available in powdered form for ready-made use.
Bongs usually use them in meat, egg and even fish curries that need a vibrant red colour. This particular type of chilli is painstakingly bred only for colour and flavour.
They come in a wider range of colour values. Bright red is the best of all and highly valued for their colour retention.
Any meat, chicken or mutton, is always marinated with a tendering agent like vinegar, yogurt or raw papaya paste and a few spices including Kashmiri red chilli.
It is used for vivid colour in Tandoori items, biryani, rezala, do pyaza and plenty of other mouth-watering non-veg dishes.
It is also used in rich and sumptuous veg curries that use paneer such as, paneer pasanda, paneer rezala and other delicious paneer preparations.
Kashmiri red chilli is used in brinjal basanti, a traditional Bengali dish and spicy preparation of brinjal.
There are thousands of regional recipes across India, which generously use this bright red coloured chilli powder. Spice is really nice, especially when you are using Kashmiri red chillies.
These red wonders are also used to prepare some most delicious chutneys and pickles are known for their colour and flavour both. They just jazz up the dishes with their tangy flavours.
Have you tasted sweet red chilli pickles? If not, it is a sin. It is a hot favourite with many having insane greed for sweet-tangy taste. Give it a try; you will realize what you have missed all these days.
These ruby red delights go into making some crispy bites. For example, coat brinjals with a paste of turmeric powder, red chilli, coriander and cumin powder and deep fry them in oil.
You can take prawns instead of brinjals and coat them with ginger-garlic paste and red chilli powder before deep frying them in hot oil.
All these snacks go best with a cup of steaming tea or coffee. You can also pair them with cocktails or mocktails.
When Should You Add Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder While Cooking?
It depends on which dish you are cooking.
If it is snacks, pickles or any meat preparation, you should marinate the main ingredient with Kashmiri red chilli powder.
In case of meat preparation, you will also need it in times of cooking.
It offers a slight spicy taste. However, no one eats it raw. It gives a natural red colour to all the dishes.
Should You Cook with Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder?
It depends on what dishes one is preparing. For the bright red colour, you have two choices – Kashmiri red chilli and artificial colour. You should know the first one is the best, safest and healthiest choice.
What Foods Can You Put Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder On?
Kashmiri powder is used in a variety of items, from veg curries to fish, meat and egg dishes and also snacks, pickles and chutneys. Whenever you need a bright colour, always turn to Kashmiri red chilli powder.
Which Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder Is Best for Cooking?
The bright red variety of Kashmiri chilli powder is the best for cooking. It is less chilli but at the same time it is adding colour to the cooking.
Does Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder Make Food Spicy?
Kashmir red chilli colours any dish and makes it mildly spicy. It is mainly used for its great colour and flavour.
Can You Add Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder to Boiling Water?
Yes, you can add Kashmiri red chillies to boiling water to make a paste. Make sure to add vinegar after the paste cools down.
