There are many types of chili powder available in the market. Some chili powders are extremely spicy, and some have a mild taste. Kashmiri mirch powder is not extremely hot chili powder. Using a little amount of kashmiri mirch in the dish won’t make it very spicy.
So what is Kashmiri mirch and how can you use it in the dish. This article briefly discusses Kashmiri mirch and its use in the recipe.
What Is Kashmiri Mirch?
Kashmiri mirch is a bright red color chili powder that originated from the Kashmir region, India. It is known for its color and flavor more than its spiciness. This chili powder is popularly used in South Asian kitchens.
As South Asian people are fond of spicy food, so their kitchen will have chili powder. It’s unnecessary for every south Asian person to have Kashmiri mirch powder, but they will surely have chili powder in their kitchen.
You can get this spice either in a ground or powder form. Using ground Kashmiri mirch adds more flavor to the dish than powdered one. However, most people use this spice in powder form as it is easy to store.
Dried kashmiri mirch has a deep red color, crinkly texture, and pleasant aroma. Using it in curry and gravy enhances the flavor of spices.
What Are The Benefits Of Kashmiri Mirch Powder?
Many people may not know that kashmiri mirch has health benefits. Chili powder is usually used in dishes for reddish color and spicy flavor, but it also benefits health. Kashmiri mirch is not just for flavoring and adding color to dishes.
Kashmiri mirch is a good source of vitamin C, which is an essential nutrient for the body to operate. Vitamin C improves digestion and the immunity system. Also, it can bring a glow to the skin, enhance bone health and promote the health of blood vessels. Moreover, it supplies antioxidants to the body.
As kashmiri mirch powder has so many benefits so using it in dishes is not harmful. However, this doesn’t suggest that you should use more kashmiri mirch powder to the dishes. It just means you can use it regularly while cooking vegetables.
How Is Kashmiri Mirch Powder Made Of?
This spice is a blend of kashmiri chili. Before blending kashmiri chili into a fine powder, they are dry roasted. Kashmiri mirch is dry roasted in a non-stick pan on medium flame until they aroma. After few minutes, they are placed at room temperature to cool down.
After then, they are blended into fine powder. If you don’t want to invest time to make kashmiri mirch powder, you can get it from the market.
How To Store Kashmiri Mirch Powder?
Storing spices may not seem crucial, however, it is. The way to store all your spices impacts the flavor of the dishes. Whether it’s about storing kashmiri mirch powder or other spices, you need to know proper ways to make spices last longer.
Powder spices can lose their aroma and flavor if you don’t close the lid of the jar right after its use. You need to store the spices in an air-tight container so that the spices would last months.
Recipe Using Kashmiri Mirch Powder
You can use kashmiri mirch in any food. Here is a potato fry recipe that uses kashmiri mirch powder along with other ingredients. Following this recipe, you can prepare potato fry within 30 minutes, and it’s quite easy.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes- 3 medium-size
- Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
- Mustard oil- 2 tablespoons
- Kashmiri mirch powder- 1 teaspoon
- Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon
- Cumin powder- 1 teaspoon
- Garam masala- 1 teaspoon
- Coriander leaves
- Salt
Instructions:
- Rinse the potatoes to remove dirt. Using a peeler, peel the potatoes. Then chop the potatoes into medium-size cubes. Transfer the cubes to the bowl.
- Heat non-stick pan with 2 tablespoons mustard oil on medium flame.
- When oil is hot, add potatoes cubes and fry them for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring them in intervals.
- After 10 minutes, add turmeric powder, kashmiri mirch powder, cumin powder, garam masala, and salt according to taste. Stir to coat each potato cubes with spices. Allow potatoe cubes to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Make sure each side of potato cubes are cooked evenly. Keep stirring them to avoid burning.
- To check if potatoes are cooked or not, you can stick a fork. If potatoes are raw, you have to cook for another few minutes on medium-low flame.
- Make sure to stir the potatoes. If you are using a pan with thin bottom, there is high chance that it will burn if you don’t stir. So, ensure that you are cooking stirring potatoes while cooking and keep flam medium-low.
- Meanwhile, chop coriander leaves. Rinse the coriander leaves and chop them into fine pieces.
- Potato fry must have been ready. When potatoes are completely ready, they turn a reddish color.
- When it’s ready, turn off the flame. Then garnish it with coriander leaves.
Click the link to learn know to prepare spicy chicken.