Kashmiri Red Chilies or are characterized by their ability to give a dark red colour to food, capable of colouring and adding flavour, while at the same time not allowing the food to become too pungent or spicy. India is the largest consumer and producer. Numerous companies sell the powdered form, including MDH,

Everest Spices Everest Food Products Pvt Ltd (Everest Spices) is an Indian manufacturer, distributor and exporter of ground spices and spice mixtures under the brand name Everest. Everest has been accorded the Superbrands status Eight times: in 2003, 2006, 20 ...

, Sakthi Masala and Badshah Masala.

Vir Sanghvi Vir Sanghvi (born 5 July 1956) is an Indian print and television journalist, author, columnist and talk show host. He has been a member of many professional, academic and government bodies including the National Integration Council. Currently, h ...

writes that a majority of the restaurant industry in India use Kashmiri chillis or its powdered form. Chefs even use Kashmiri chillis as a substitute for dishes with ''Goan Peri-Peri masala.'' Due to the high demand for Kashmiri chilis, substitutes such as Byadagi chillies are used. There are government initiatives and incentives in Jammu and Kashmir to support and increase the production of the local variety of the Kashmiri chilli.

Characteristics

According to the

Spices Board of India The Spices Board is the Government of India, Indian government regulatory and export promotion agency for Indian spices headed by a Chairman, rank equivalent to Joint Secretary to Government of India. The board is headquartered in Kochi (India ...

, under the

Ministry of Commerce and Industry A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and M ...

, Government of India, Kashmiri Chillies are mainly grown in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

and

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

, but also in places such as Goa. They are harvested during winter. The

American Spice Trade Association The American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) is an American trade association for companies importing, processing and distributing food spices. It was founded in New York City in 1907 by 55 "founding fathers". It was decided that ASTA membership wo ...

(ASTA) colour value is 54.10. This value helps identify the amount of colour that can be extracted from the chilli. The capsaicine value is 0.325%. They are mild, reading 1000 – 2000 SHU on the

Scoville Scale The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers, as recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component. The scale i ...

. There are different qualities of Kashmiri red chillies. According to a study in 1999, the capsaicine value was found to be 0.126%. India's Consumer Education and Research Centre puts ''Everest Kashmiri Lal'' (

) at SHU 48,000, while ''Golden Harvest Kashmiri Mirch Powder'' ( Golden Harvest'')'' has an SHU of 60,000.How hot is Chilli Powder?
''Consumer Education and Research Centre.'' Environment Information System, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Retrieved on 26 July 2021. This SHU level is similar to other brands in the market. Brick powder is one of the forms of adulteration.

Usage

It is used in various non-vegetarian dishes such as

tandoori chicken Tandoori chicken is a Cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, South Asian dish of chicken (food), chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and roasting, roasted in a ''tandoor'', a cylindrical clay oven. The dish is now popular world-wide. The moder ...

and snacks such as tiger prawns. It is also used in pickles and chutneys. It is used in food like

pav bhaji Pav bhaji (Marathi : पाव भाजी) is a fast food dish from India consisting of a thick vegetable curry (''bhaji'') served with a soft bread roll (''pav''). Its origins are in the state of Maharashtra. History The dish originated as ...

, misal pav for colour.

References

{{Capsicum cultivars Indian cuisine Kashmiri cuisine