Chilli Kashmiri Powder 80g

Recipes & Uses

Recipe for Kashmiri Chilli Powder

 Tandoori Chicken (The Iconic Red Dish)

The dish that made Kashmiri chili powder famous worldwide

• Kashmiri chili gives the signature red hue without extreme heat (only 1,000-2,000 SHU)

 Authentic Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (1 kg) chicken (legs/thighs)

• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder (for color + flavor)

• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

• 1 cup yogurt

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tbsp mustard oil (key for authentic flavor)

• 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Key Steps:

1. Marinate: Mix all ingredients (except kasoori methi) + deep slits in chicken (12+ hours)

2. Char: Grill/bake at 400°F (200°C) until blackened edges appear

3. Finish: Sprinkle kasoori methi before serving

 Why Kashmiri Chili Powder is Essential:

1. Color: Provides that iconic fiery red without artificial dyes

2. Flavor: Earthy, slightly smoky taste (not just heat)

3. Versatility: Enough kick for most palates (milder than cayenne)

Pro Tip:

• For extra red color, add 1/2 tsp paprika with the chili powder

• No mustard oil? Substitute with vegetable oil + 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

 Other Top Uses for Kashmiri Chili Powder:

1. Rogan Josh (Kashmiri lamb curry)

2. Chicken 65 (fiery red appetizer)

3. Prawns Masala (Goan-style seafood dish)

4. Kashmiri Chai (pink tea with subtle spice)

Heat Comparison:

• Kashmiri: 1,000-2,000 SHU

• Cayenne: 30,000-50,000 SHU

Why Choose Kashmiri Chilli Powder?

Vibrant natural red colour
One of Kashmiri Chilli's biggest advantages is the rich colour it brings to curries, sauces and marinades.

Milder than many hot chilli powders
It gives you chilli flavour and warmth without dominating the dish with heat.

Made for Indian cooking
An especially useful ingredient for Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala, tandoori marinades, biryani and many other Indian dishes.

Excellent in marinades
Mix it into yoghurt-based marinades to give chicken, paneer, fish or vegetables colour and flavour.

Useful when appearance matters as much as heat
If your curry tastes good but looks pale, Kashmiri Chilli can help bring that recognisable deep red-orange colour.

What Does Kashmiri Chilli Taste Like?

Kashmiri Chilli has a mild to moderate warmth, subtle smokiness and rich chilli flavour.

Compared with hotter chilli varieties, its defining characteristic is not simply heat.

It's the combination of:

Colour
Warmth
Chilli flavour
Gentle smokiness

That makes it particularly useful in dishes where you want chilli to complement the other spices rather than overpower them.

How to Use Kashmiri Chilli Powder

Butter Chicken

Add Kashmiri Chilli Powder to your spice base to give the sauce its characteristic warm red colour and gentle chilli flavour.

It works particularly well alongside tomato, cream, ginger, garlic and garam masala.

Tandoori Chicken

Mix with:

Plain yoghurt
Ginger
Garlic
Lemon juice
Garam Masala
Salt

Coat the chicken thoroughly and marinate before grilling, roasting or barbecuing.

Kashmiri Chilli helps give the marinade its distinctive vibrant colour.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Use it in both the chicken marinade and tomato-based sauce to build colour and mild chilli warmth.

Paneer Tikka

Mix with yoghurt and spices and use as a marinade for paneer, capsicum and onion before grilling or roasting.

Biryani & Rice

Add a small amount to spiced rice or biryani when you want colour and gentle heat.

Roasted Vegetables

Toss potatoes, cauliflower, pumpkin or carrots with oil, Kashmiri Chilli Powder and salt before roasting.

Kashmiri Chilli vs Cayenne

Both are red chilli powders, but they perform very different jobs.

Choose Kashmiri Chilli Powder when you want:

• Strong red colour
• Gentler heat
• Rich chilli flavour
• Indian curries and gravies
• Tandoori marinades

Choose Cayenne Pepper when you primarily want:

• Much stronger heat
• A straightforward way to make an existing dish hotter
• Less emphasis on colour

So if a recipe calls for Kashmiri Chilli, replacing it with the same quantity of cayenne can make the dish considerably hotter than intended.

Why Colour Matters in Indian Cooking

We often think of spices purely in terms of flavour.

But spices can also change how a dish looks.

Kashmiri Chilli is valued because it brings deep red colour and chilli flavour together.

That's particularly useful in:

Tandoori marinades
Butter Chicken
Tikka Masala
Curries and gravies

You don't need extreme chilli heat to create a dish that looks rich and intensely spiced.

Bloom It for More Colour and Flavour

Kashmiri Chilli Powder can be added directly to marinades and dry seasoning mixes.

In curries and sauces, you can also briefly cook it in warm oil or ghee.

This helps release its colour and flavour into the cooking fat, which then carries through the rest of the dish.

Keep the heat controlled and don't let the chilli powder burn, as burnt chilli can become bitter.

Try It This Way

For an easy tandoori-style marinade, combine:

Plain yoghurt
Kashmiri Chilli Powder
Ginger
Garlic
Garam Masala
Lemon juice
Salt

Mix well and coat chicken pieces, paneer or cauliflower.

Allow to marinate before grilling, roasting or barbecuing at high heat.

You get beautiful colour, aromatic spice and gentle chilli warmth without needing an extremely hot marinade.

Beyond Curry

Once you've opened the pack, try Kashmiri Chilli Powder in:

• Butter Chicken
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Tandoori Chicken
• Paneer Tikka
• Biryani
• Dal
• Chickpea curries
• Fish marinades
• Roast potatoes
• Cauliflower
• Pumpkin
• Rice dishes
• Chutneys
• Raita
• Yoghurt marinades
• Homemade spice rubs

Think of Kashmiri Chilli as the chilli to reach for when you want colour and flavour first, with heat playing a supporting role.

Storage

Store Kashmiri Chilli Powder in an airtight container in a cool, dark and dry place.

Protecting it from light is particularly important for helping preserve its vibrant red colour.

• Paprika: 250-1,000 SHU