Topic: Red Chilli Powder

[livo]

What are we actually buying?  Curious as to your thoughts or experience and knowledge if you have it.

Background:  I was in the local Indian Grocery store recently asking about Yellow Chilli Powder, required for some masalas I'd looked at.  The guy behind the counter stared blankly at me then looked over at another bloke in the shop, obviously passing the question off to him.  It turns out he is a Chef.  He asked me why I wanted it and I told him.  He said I wont get in Australia and to "just use Paprika, Kashmiri Chilli Powder". I missed the opportunity to ask, but now I notice that Syed is seemingly using the terms Paprika, Red Chilli Powder interchangeably, although he did say to use one or the other or blend them to desired heat level.  The Chef on the other hand appeared to suggest that Paprika and Kashmiri Chilli Powder were the same thing, or at least interchangeable.

Firstly, the Kashmiri Chilli Powder I buy here, packaged as that, is not as vibrantly red as some of the images of the powder used in Kashmir, which nearly glows red. Maybe they export stale stock. The stuff I buy here does have a definite heat element and I'd say no different to some other powder I have which was bought as Mild Chilli Powder.  I also have some (rarely used) Hot Chilli Powder, as well as Sweet Paprika (no heat at all) and Hungarian Smoked Paprika (considerably darker in colour).  The Sweet Paprika, Kashmiri, Mild and Hot Chilli powders are indistinguishable in appearance.  Then you have a product, supposedly interchangeable with Kashmiri Chilli Powder, called Deghi/Degi/Deggi Mirch.  There are different descriptions of what this actually is.

I also have some whole chillis bought as Whole Kashmiri Chillis, but I'm not sure they really are.  According to some images and discussions I've seen, Kashmiri Chillis are quite short and conical in shape, where the ones I have appear to resemble Byadgi Chillis.  Other images show the Kashmiri to be longer and more like the ones I have, so I don't know what I have really.  Of course there is a lot of misinformation on the internet and people can pass nonsense off as fact if it's done well.

Some sites say that due to high demand for the true Kashmiri variety, incidentally claimed to not be actually grown in Kashmir, they are often substituted with other varieties.  Unfortunately, I have been unable to establish actual botanical names for the different forms and have no real way of telling one from the other. Judging from the heat element and lack of vibrant colour, I question if I'm buying the real Kashmiri Chilli in either the powdered or whole state.

I've done a bit of reading on the subject and studied images and I have no idea what it is that I'm actually buying or using.  I have purchased a few packets of seeds to grow this year. I have some Rajah, Kashmiri Mirch, Red and Green Cayenne, Green Jalapeno and one called Red Australian. It is the first 2 I'm most interested in seeing.  Is the Kashmiri Mirch going to be the same as true Kashmiri Mirch?

[noble ox]

Kashmiri chilli powder
If you go back 20 or 30 years in the UK there was no mention by any chefs of its use ..
It is used as a must have by modern trendy chefs copying each other even famous ones as well.
Most of the kashmiri powder has colours added to dump off iffy powder.
If there is a Kashmiri chilli it should all taste the same and they should look the same but they do not.
Having grown many varieties of chillis over 55 years I doubt that a Kashmiri chilli as a sub species exists.
Paprika too is a market where all sorts of crap are is added
The best is sourced from Hungary and well worth getting.".caviat emptor" as the educated say

[Peripatetic Phil]

It is too long since I last carried out any research on the subject for me to say with any certainty whether there is, or is not, an authentic "Kashmiri chilli" varietal, cultivar or sub-species from which Kashmiri chilli powder is made.  What I can say is that I use only two types of ground red chilli when I cook curries