From cooking regular meals to the exotic ones, Mirchi powder or chilli powder is used extensively in food. It lends a spicy taste to it along with beautiful red colour to it.
Indians regard this spice as an important one. In fact, India is the largest producer of chillies in the world. It is also the largest exporter or consumer of red chillies in the world.
But there are many varieties of red chilli powder available in the market. Many people are still unsure of the type they should use for cooking. Clearing these doubts as below:
First, know the popular types of chilli powder available in the market:
● Regular or Normal chilli powder:
Known more for its colour than its spice, the regular or normal chilli powder found in the local markets is widely used in Indian cuisine. It is known for its perfectly balanced spicy flavour which is neither too spicy nor too mild. In addition to the flavour, it also lends a beautiful red colour to the food dishes you add it in. Thus, the food gains a mouth-watering taste.
Due to its immense popularity, this chilli powder is exported all over the world. In fact, it accounts for 30% of India’s chilli exports, approximately.
● Kumthi Kashmiri chilli powder:
If you prefer a mild spicy flavour to your food, then you must use Kumthi Kashmiri chilli powder. This chilli powder has a well-balanced pungency, flavour, and spiciness and thus, is widely acclaimed across India. Moreover, it has health-enriching vitamins and minerals such as Manganese, Foliate, Potassium, Thiamin, and Vitamins A, B, C, and E in it.
Its ability to retain nutritional values for a long period of time makes it a healthy choice for your home as well.
● Dhani chilli powder:
Popularly known as Bird’s eye chilli powder, Dhani chilli powder is widely produced in Mizoram and Manipur. The Dhani chillies or the Bird’s eye chilli are tiny in size, quite spicy in flavour, bright red in colour, and highly pungent. Due to its rich flavour and colour, this chilli powder is widely used in the preparation of chutneys and pickles along with cooking.
The level of spiciness can be understood by the fact that even a tablespoon of pickle made by using chilli powder can trigger your senses vigilantly.
● Mundu chilli powder:
Having its origins in the Ramnad regions of Tamil Nadu, Mundu chilli powder has a mildly pungent flavour and a bright red colour. It is widely used in the Chettinad cuisine and chutneys, sambhar, and tadkas prepared in South India.
The word ‘Gundu’ means fa and round. Hence, Mundu chillies are small, fat, and round in appearance. They also have thin skin which helps to grind into a fine powder easily.
● Naga chilli powder:
Another spice from the North East parts of India, Naga chilli powder is extremely spicy. In fact, Naga chillies, from which the powder is made, were acclaimed as the ‘Hottest chillies in the world’ till the year 2007. A teaspoon of this spice in the food dishes you cook can accentuate the spiciness of the food to another level of extremity.
The Naga chilli which is also known as Bhut Jolokia is grown mainly in the states of Nagaland, Assam, and Manipur. This chilli is available in red, white, yellow, and purple varieties.
Thus, based on the level of spiciness you want to add and the sort of colour you want, use any one of these chilli powders. If you wish to use the regular Chilli Powder or the Kumthi Kashmiri Chilli Powder, buy it directly from our e-store.
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