Chillies - Red Hot Flavours Of India

 

Dry red chillies are an essential ingredient in the Masala Dabbas of the Indian kitchen. They come in various sizes shapes and colours and each have their own distinct characteristics. They are perhaps one of the most important spices that are used in the kitchen. Chillies are used for various purposes, viz, cooking of vegetarian  and non-vegetarian meals, pickles, chutneys to impart heat and visual colour and so much more. Its universal application has earned it the name “Queen of Spices “.

Let me try to explain what the most common varieties are so that the next to time you see chillies in the local Kirana, supermarket or even online you know what each is and how you can use them in your cooking. The advantage of buying chillies in a Kirana store is that you can touch and feel the chilli for dryness, grade them before buying them. In these days though as supermarkets and even online grocery shopping become common you can now purchase chillies that are hygienically graded and packed.

Sannam or S4 Chillies

The Sannam or S4 chillies also called as samba and Guntur chillies are the most common variety of chillies grown in the country. They are thin and long and of medium hotness, making them ideal for all cooking applications. It is used to spice up and increase the taste of foods in various cuisine like Indian, Mexican, Italian and Chinese.

Ramnad Gundu Chillies

Ramnad Gundu chillies or Mundu chillies are round fat chillies that are grown in TamilNadu in the Ramnad regions and it is referred to as Bor chillies in the North. 

These chillies are popular in Chennai city and its suburban areas and are perfect for cooking vegetarian dishes like Sambar/ rasam etc. They are not spicy hot, but they have a nutty flavour because of it’s high seed count giving them its characteristic taste.

Kashmiri chillies

The name Kashmiri chillies can be misleading as these chillies do not grow in Kashmir at least not anymore. These dark red wrinkled chillies grow in the Byadgi region of Karnataka and are used extensively in most dishes.

You will find that they are used in sambar/ non vegetarian dishes like the fish and chicken ghee roast. These chillies impart a very mild heat but give a lot of natural  red colour to dishes to make them appealing.

Teja Chillies

Teja chillies are small and thin chillies that came into the markets around 25 to 30 years ago and were first arrived in the Khammam chilli markets in Telangana and grew largely in the Khammam district.

These are fiery hot and have grown in popularity in the markets around Delhi and UP. These need to be handled with care and used sparingly or could ruin a dish completely.  It has a huge and growing demand in International and domestic markets particularly China because of the growing popularity of the Hot Pot style food in China.

Mathania chillies

These chillies are unique to Rajasthan and it hails from the desert city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan state. These chillies are also called as the “Lal Badshah of Rajasthan. Sadly the crop has declined and it is available in very small quantities and consumed very quickly within the state as home makers rush to buy them in season and stock up to use through the year and use them in their homemade pickles.

These chillies also help make the famed Lal maas which is a mutton specialty from Jaisalmer. These chillies are known for its deep colour, powerful aroma and taste.

Mankad chillies

These chillies are grown in the Hindupur region and named because of the method used to dry the chillies. The chillies are dried on the red sand of the region and the sand coats the chillies. The chillies are pungent and the chillies are small and of a medium colour.

Over the years many varieties of chillies have been launched and it is increasingly difficult to identify a variety by its characteristics. The characteristics of the chillies keep changing as they are intercropped, crossbred and also the soil and climatic conditions keep changing. It is possible that a variety that is available one year suddenly disappears and you find a plethora of new varieties in shops.
This year is a good example when even the most common Guntur chilli is in short supply.

It will be a good idea to buy a small qty and trying them in your restaurant or at home to see if the chilli is suitable before buying them in larger quantities.
It is good to see some of the chilli varieties available on one site www.thillaismasala.com. They have good quality chillies graded and packed and ship all over India

Author Name: Jaisinh Vaerkar