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Dried chillies

Kashmiri chilli powder

Capsicum annuum

Mild, deep-red Indian chilli powder used mainly to give curries and tandoori dishes their bright colour.

Also called: kashmiri mirch, deggi mirch, kashmiri red chilli

  • Fruity & sour
  • Smoky & roasted
  • Very mild
Buying & storing22 recipes

Flavour and aroma

mild, fruity, sweetish, colourful. Mild heat, fruity.

Heat
Very mild
Forms
ground, whole

How to use it

  • bloom in fat · Tadka (tempering) technique

    Take the pan off the heat, stir the powder into the hot oil for 5–10 seconds, then add liquid. This gives the best colour; on full heat it burns at once.

  • soak

    Mix the powder with a little water into a paste before adding to hot oil, as for rogan josh. Soak whole chillies in hot water for 20–30 minutes and grind for pastes.

  • Tandoori chicken and tikka marinades
  • Rogan josh and butter chicken
  • Colouring tadka for dal
  • Goan and South Indian masalas

Identifying good quality

Powder: deep brick-red, not orange. Whole: long, wrinkled, deep red pods with thin skin. Very bright red powder at a low price may contain added colour.

  • Not to be confused with Paprika: Paprika is similar in colour and mildness but has a different, often sweeter flavour.
  • Not to be confused with Cayenne / chilli powder: Ordinary red chilli powder is much hotter.

Origin and history

Origin: Chillies came from the Americas; the Kashmiri type is a mild, deep-red Indian cultivar.. Grown and used: Grown in Kashmir in small amounts; much 'Kashmiri chilli' on sale comes from similar mild varieties grown elsewhere in India..

Kashmiri chilli gives rogan josh and many restaurant curries and tandoori marinades their deep red colour with little heat. Deggi mirch, a popular powder, is a blend built on similar mild, red chillies.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

Recipes with kashmiri chilli powder

9 more