Ema datshi

Name: Ema datshi
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 200 g green chilli, halved lengthwise; seed some for less heat; 1 onion, sliced; 1 tomato, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 250 ml water; 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil; 150 g datshi (bhutanese cheese), crumbled; ¼ tsp salt; 5 g coriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Vegetarian

ཨེ་མ་དར་ཚིལ · ema datshi

Bhutan's national dish: whole green chillies simmered with onion, tomato and garlic until soft, then melted together with soft cheese into a fiery, creamy stew eaten with red rice.

Ema datshi is a Bhutanese stew, ready in about 25 minutes and made with green chilli and datshi (bhutanese cheese). It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 108

Ingredients

4 servings

200 g Green chilli (opens in a new tab), halved lengthwise; seed some for less heatLong, fleshy green (or dried red) chillies.Swap: Jalapeño (Milder.); Green bell pepper (Mix half and half for a gentle version.)
1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), sliced
1 (120 g) Tomato (opens in a new tab), chopped
3 cloves (12 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), crushed
250 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (14 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)Swap: Butter
150 g Datshi (Bhutanese cheese) (opens in a new tab), crumbledSwap: Feta (Saltier; reduce the added salt.); Cottage cheese (Add 1 slice of processed cheese for melt.)Contains milk
¼ tsp (1.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)Taste and adjust at the end.
5 g Coriander leaves (opens in a new tab), chopped (optional)

Equipment

Saucepan (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Put the chillies, onion (opens in a new tab), water and oil in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), cover and simmer until the chillies are soft.
- 8 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Wear gloves when cutting lots of chillies, and avoid touching your eyes.
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
2
Step 2
Add the tomato (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) and simmer for 2 minutes more.
- 2 min
- medium heat
How it looks · Photo: Nanda Mends on Pexels
3
Step 3
Scatter in the cheese, cover and simmer gently without stirring until it melts into the liquid. Swirl the pan, taste for salt and add the cilantro (opens in a new tab).
- 4 min
- low heat
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Bhutan · Well documentedMore food from Bhutan
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method: Simmered
Taste: spicy (chilli heat), creamy, salty, savoury
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: One-pot · Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Green chilli · Datshi (Bhutanese cheese) · Onion · Tomato · Garlic
Techniques: Simmering

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom datshi (bhutanese cheese)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

108 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 214 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 21%
Carbohydrate 38%
Fat 41%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	108 kcal	50 kcal
Protein	5.9 g	2.8 g
Carbohydrate	10.7 g	5 g
Net carbohydrate	9.1 g	4.2 g
Sugars	5.5 g	2.6 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.6 g	0.8 g
Fat	5.2 g	2.4 g
Saturated fat	0.9 g	0.4 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	6 mg	3 mg
Sodium	272 mg	127 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	0.3 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 332 mg
Calcium: 61 mg
Iron: 0.8 mg
Magnesium: 24 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 56 µg
Vitamin C: 128 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0.2 µg
Folate (DFE): 26 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
Datshi (Bhutanese cheese): Cottage cheese used as a stand-in; datshi is a soft, fresh, mildly sour cow's-milk cheese made from buttermilk curds.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Don't stir hard after adding the cheese; swirl the pan so it melts into a creamy sauce rather than clumping.

Common mistakes

Boiling hard after adding the cheese — it turns grainy and oily.

Serve with

Serve with Bhutanese red rice.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently; the cheese may split if boiled.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Green chilli, halved lengthwise; seed some for less heat200 g
Tomato, chopped1 piece · 120 g
Datshi (Bhutanese cheese), crumbled150 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

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