Flavourful Indian Chilli Varieties that are smoking HOT!
Indians cannot live without chillis
Take the heat, have a chilli! The tangy and spicy ingredient of every Indian kitchen ‘Chilli’ is known to accentuate the flavours of any cuisine. ‘Indians cannot live without chillis’ – that is quite true indeed. We do prefer having and adding some amount of spice even in the continental dishes. And, due to the flavours, we are accustomed to, you can find Indian version of Burgers, pizzas or Chinese cuisine. Tourists may find it little bemusing but Indians have a reason to incorporate chillis in every dish. It is their medicinal properties which make Indian food nutritious and healing for the human body. We really love our spices.
India is biggest Chilli Powder Exporters
India is the biggest producer and exporter of this spice or rather all kind of spices. Out of 947,790 metric tons of spices exported in 2016-2017, 400,250 Metric tons worth INR 507,075 from the total of INR 1,766,460.65 counted solely to chilli exports from India. The market of chilli powder manufacturers in India is the biggest. And Satvam is a leading name amongst chilli powder suppliers. The best Indian chilli powder brand that prepares all the spices using cryogenic technology, Satvam is renowned for its high-quality raw ingredients garnered from various regions of India.
Mentioned below are some popular Indian red chilli varieties that are extensively used in local cuisines as well as in the exporting of chilli powders.
Jwala Chilli
Jwala – ‘volcano’, as the name speaks for itself; it is a medium-hot chilli pepper native to Gujarat. These chillies are green when fresh and turn red when dried. Since they are narrow and wrinkled, they resemble human fingers to some extent. The Scoville Heat Unit (a measure of hotness) for this pepper is 20,000-30,000. These chillis can be grown easily in your kitchen garden.
Dhani
Known by the name of Piri Piri, Thai chilli or bird’s eye, this chilli belongs to the extremely hot category with 100,000 – 225,000 SHU. It is a tiny explosive that is grown in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam regions of India. Kerala is also a big producer of Dhani and uses it in its local preparations.
Guntur
Guntur is a red hot chilli family which is divided into Guntur Sannam S4, Wonder Hot, 334, Teja and Phatki. ‘Wonder hot’ is the hottest chilli variety with 30,000 – 350,000 SHU. However, ‘334’ is the most exported one that contributes to 30% of the chilli exports from India. It is immensely grown in the regions of Andhra Pradesh.
Kashmiri
‘Kashmiri mirch’ as we know it, though has a very less spice quotient of 2000 SHU but delivers beautiful red colour to all the Indian traditional preparations. The chillis are scarce and thus refrained from exports. One can easily recognize it with its intense dark red colour.
Naga Viper
Hottest chilli known until 2012 with 1,041,427 SHU, Naga Viper was considered to cause vomiting, burning sensations in eyes, stomach cramps and people have even fainted having this smoking hot chilli. It is vastly produced in Northeast region of India. The shape and colour of this chilli may vary from the common red.
Mundu/ Gundu Molzuka
Mundu is specifically grown in Andhra and Tamil Nadu and have a cherry-like round shape. They are medium spicy with a unique flavor which can be only experienced after tasting it. It is the major ingredient in South Indian preparations.
Byadagi
These red, pointed and extremely wrinkled chillis are grown in Karnataka. It is an essential part of Goan, Kannad and Marathi dishes. Goda masala (a traditional recipe) is made from byadagi chillies. They have a high amount of oleoresin, thus also used as a colouring agent in foods and cosmetic products.
Kanthari
Kanthari comes from the lands of Kerala and is rated as very hot. It is unique in the sense that it turns white when matured. Keralites delve into their spicy cuisine using this locally grown chilli pepper.
Like we cannot imagine American cuisine without cheese, Indian dishes cannot be imagined without chillis. Those red curries and spicy paneer tikkas won’t get their unique flavors unless chillis are added to it. Moreover, these small bombs of vitamins and antioxidants make it worth incorporating it into your meal.