Chilli Powder Recipe | Kashmiri Chilli Powder Recipe

Red Chilli Powder or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder is a quite essential spice powder used in everyday Indian cooking. From curries, gravies, chutneys and rice dishes, just a spoon of chilli powder adds that kick of taste, heat and also the lovely color. When you make it at home you will realize how fresh, aromatic and full of flavor it actually is.

I always feel homemade chilli powder is more clean and flavorful. We can control the spice level by mixing different types of chillies. It stays fresh for months and also you know it is pure without any mixing of color or additives. Red Chilli Powder is also called Lal Mirch Powder or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder.

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About Chilli Powder

Red Chilli Powder is nothing but dried red chillies grind to a fine powder. But there are many types of chillies available some are more spicy, some give deep red color, and few are balanced. Regular long red chillies adds spice and Kashmiri Red Chillies gives bright natural color without being very hot.

Red Chilli Powder is easily available in supermarkets these days but loaded with artificial colors and preservatives. Its been few years since I started making my homemade spice powders and there is no looking back after that.

Homemade Red Chili Powder is not only free from chemicals and colors, it is fresh more flavorful and aromatic. I make red chili powder in bulk which lasts me for about 6 months. Usually I sun dry / dry roast red chilies in bulk and give to mill for grinding and store it. This time I made a small batch so tried in my mixer itself and it came out so good and that justifies this post.

Traditionally, in villages people dry the red chillies under strong sun and then take them to flour mill for grinding. These days, we can do it at home itself in smaller batches using a powerful mixer grinder.

The texture of freshly ground chilli powder is usually fine, with a bright deep red shade and a strong natural aroma. The taste is sharp, spicy but also gives a little warm note. Kashmiri chilli gives that vibrant red color which makes gravies look very appetising, while the long red chilli is what balances the spice level.

I usually make a small jar of chilli powder once every 3–4 months. That way it stays fresh and doesn’t lose its aroma. Making it at home has become a habit because once you taste homemade powder, you won’t feel like buying packed ones.

Red Chilli Powder Video

Red Chilli Powder is easy to make at home so do try and enjoy the benefits. We need both color and spice level to our red chilli powder which is perfect for every day use. So a combination of regular kashmiri chillies and kashmiri red chillies are used to make red chilli powder.

Regular red chilies gives the required hotness and kashmiri red chilies gives the natural fiery hot red color. So while using this Red Chili Powder you get the perfect balance of flavor, heat and color to the dish.

Red Chilli Powder Ingredients

• Red chillies – I have used long red chillies for heat and spice. They are thin, bright in color and give that strong kick. Add more if you like it extra hot.
• Kashmiri red chillies – I have used Kashmiri chillies mainly for the bright natural red color. They are not spicy but gives a nice color to the powder.

I have used a equal ratio of red chilies but you can change it according to your preference like ¾th long red chilies and ¼th kashmiri chilies too.

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How to make Chilli Powder Step by Step

1.First measure ¼ kg long red chilies. We are going to use both red chillies : the regular long red chillies for spice and kashmiri red chillies for color.

2.Pluck the stem from the red chillies.

3.You can even keep 3-4 at a time and cut using a kitchen scissor.

4.All ready, set aside.

5.Now take ¼ kg kashmiri red chillies and remove the stem part if any.

6.Now kashmiri red chillies is also ready.

7.To a kadai add kashmiri red chilli first and dry roast until crisp, remove and set aside. To check break a red chilli it should easily break and not bend then its perfect else roast for few more minutes.

Alternatively you can sundry the chillies and grind too but sun should be very hot.

8.Now add long red chilli variety and dry roast until crisp.

9.Cool down completely then add to mixer jar.

10.Grind it as fine as possible. Alternatively you can give to mill and grind it too.

11.Spread it on a tray and cool down then store in a clean dry airtight container. If you feel its very coarse then sieve it once and store.

Homemade Red Chili Powder is ready to use.

Expert Tips

• Cleaning and preparing – I always pluck stems from all chillies before roasting. You can even cut few at a time with kitchen scissors, it makes the work faster. Cleaning well before grinding avoids any bitterness.
• Dry roasting vs. sun drying – If you have strong hot sun, you can spread chillies on a mat or net cloth and dry for 2–3 days. Cover lightly to protect from flies. I sometimes do this in summer. In other seasons, I dry roast chillies in a kadai on low flame till crisp. Both methods work well.
• Roasting properly – I have roasted chillies until crisp. The right stage is when you break a chilli and it snaps easily instead of bending. If you roast too long, it may burn and give bitter taste.
• Grinding – Use a powerful mixie to grind chillies. Do in small batches and give intervals, so that jar doesn’t heat up. If you feel powder is coarse, sieve it once and grind the remaining bits again.
• Storing – Cool the powder completely before storing. I always use a clean dry glass jar. If you want to keep for more than 6 months, store half in fridge and half in pantry for daily use. This way the flavor stays fresh longer.

Serving and Storage

Chilli powder is used in curries, gravies, chutneys, rice dishes and even dry sabzis. Just a spoon lifts the taste and color. Store in an airtight container. I keep a small jar for daily use and refill from the main stock. It stays good for months, and for longer shelf life you can refrigerate part of it.

FAQS

1.Can I make with only one variety of chilli?

Yes, you can use only long red chillies for more spice or only Kashmiri for mild spice with color. But mixing gives best balance.

2.Is sun drying better than roasting?

Both methods are fine. Sun drying it until crisp is good but roasting is quick and helps when there is no hot sun.

3.My chilli powder looks coarse, what to do?

Just sieve once and grind the coarse bits again. Or give it to flour mill for very fine texture.

4.How long does chilli powder stay fresh?

In pantry it stays well for 6 months. If you refrigerate half, it stays fresh for almost a year.

5.Why is my chilli powder dark in color?

This happens if chillies are over roasted or if only long spicy variety is used. Kashmiri chillies give the bright red color.

6.Is Red Chilli Powder same as Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder ?

No Red Chilli Powder is more spicy and does not give color whereas Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder gives color and is less spicy. If you are using just kashmiri red chilli powder for a recipe then you need to add more to get the perfect hotness to the dish.

7.Is Paprika same as Indian Red Chilli Powder?

Though Paprika and Red Chili powder looks similar they both differ in taste. Paprika is much milder and has a slight sweet taste. Red Chili Powder is more hotter than paprika.

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