Topic: New Base Gravy from visit to Saffron

[spiceyokooko]

have you, personally, ever used "generic Deggi Mirch"

Yes, I grind my own Chilli powders, I've mentioned this on here before many times.

...and if so, from where did you get it

It's a mixture of ground Red Kashmiri chillies, ground dried Red Pimientos (which I bring back from Spain) and Lal Mirch which are just generic red Chillies for heat. I can make it as hot or as mild as I want. Sometimes I put in some dried ground chipotle for a smokey flavour.

and how would you assess it in terms of heat, flavour, etc ?

It's pretty close to that of Paprika which is what I use it for and why I said they're interchangeable. But given I have full control over it, I can make it as mild or as hot, smokey or sweet as I want.

Because from everything you have written so far on the subject, it would seem that you have no experience of it whatsoever, and are simply spouting "facts" that you have found somewhere on the Internet.

Really?

Given that I'm probably the only person on this site that actually bothers to source, grind and blend my own Chilli powders from whole dried chillies suggests that I do actually know what I'm talking about.

What do you think?

Or do you just think that Deggi Mirch only comes out of an MDH box because that's the only experience you've ever had of it (because it's got the name on the packet) and are totally oblivious to the fact that it's actually a blend of Kasmiri Chillis (which are nothing more than mild red chillies) and dried Red Capiscums?

[spiceyokooko]

One called Kashmiri Mast, which i assume means best quality?

Don't know.

But what's interesting about that is, the milder it is, the more expensive it is. The cheapest is the pungent one and the most expensive the mild one!

How curious.

[DalPuri]

[
But what's interesting about that is, the milder it is, the more expensive it is. The cheapest is the pungent one and the most expensive the mild one!

How curious.

Could be that the cheapest one is full of all the nasties and millions of seeds, whereas the kashmiri mast is flesh only? Doesnt explain the grades in between though. 

[Peripatetic Phil]

I grind my own Chilli powders, I've mentioned this on here before many times.

It's a mixture of ground Red Kashmiri chillies, ground dried Red Pimientos (which I bring back from Spain) and Lal Mirch which are just generic red Chillies for heat. I can make it as hot or as mild as I want. Sometimes I put in some dried ground chipotle for a smokey flavour.

It's pretty close to that of Paprika which is what I use it for and why I said they're interchangeable. But given I have full control over it, I can make it as mild or as hot, smokey or sweet as I want.

Given that I'm probably the only person on this site that actually bothers to source, grind and blend my own Chilli powders from whole dried chillies suggests that I do actually know what I'm talking about.

What do you think?

I think that you are sourcing, grinding and blending your own Chilli powders.  Whether any of your blends qualify as "Deggi Mirch" is at best moot.  For myself, I prefer to base my judgements on a commercial, easily obtainable brand, so that they are more likely to be relevant to the Deggi Mirch that others obtain and use.

Or do you just think that Deggi Mirch only comes out of an MDH box because that's the only experience you've ever had of it

For the third time, Spicey, because you have have clearly failed to read what I have already written twice, I do /not/ "think that Deggi Mirch only comes out of an MDH box".  But whether I think that your personal blend is (or could reasonably be called) "Deggi Mirch" is another matter entirely.  Since, by your own admission, "it's pretty close to that of Paprika which is what I use it for and why I said they're interchangeable", it's pretty clear to me (and perhaps to others) that what you produce is some sort of paprika substitute : why you would go to all that trouble when you can buy and use real paprika is quite beyond me.

** Phil.

[DalPuri]

why you would go to all that trouble when you can buy and use real paprika is quite beyond me.

** Phil.

It makes sense to me for someone cooking Indian food to use Indian chillies instead of solely Spanish or Hungarian.
I have a lot of respect for anyone that makes their own chilli powders. 

[spiceyokooko]

For myself, I prefer to base my judgements on a commercial, easily obtainable brand, so that they are more likely to be relevant to the Deggi Mirch that others obtain and use.

How so when you haven't got the slightest clue what is even in that box, apart from the fact is says 'Deggi Mirch' on the packet? I've already told you, MDH don't even list the ingredients or what Chilli varieties have been used. It just says Red Chilli Powder - it could be anything.

Talk about blind faith.

Yet you've got the bloody cheek to sit there and say that's more reliable than my own blends when I know exactly what's going into them? You haven't got the slightest clue what goes into MDH's Deggi Mirch any more than you know what goes into Rajah or TRS's Paprika!

You just accept them, because that's what it says on the packet!

...it's pretty clear to me (and perhaps to others) that what you produce is some sort of paprika substitute : why you would go to all that trouble when you can buy and use real paprika is quite beyond me.

For the same reason I go to all that trouble to source, grind and blend my own Chilli powders - I know what's in it and I can make them however I want. You haven't got the slightest clue what is in yours, nor does anyone else. What is real Paprika anyway, anything that says Paprika on the packet?  :

Has it not occurred to you, that since I have all the ingredients to make Chilli powder blends, it's just as easy to make Paprika blends as well? I think you'll find that commercial Paprika varies almost as much as Chilli powders do.

When you pick a Paprika, a Chilli Powder or even MDH's Deggi Mirch - you're just taking pot luck as what they're going to be like, borne out by the fact that people have even mentioned on here that even MDH's Deggi Mirch varies from batch to batch!

:

[spiceyokooko]

Could be that the cheapest one is full of all the nasties and millions of seeds, whereas the kashmiri mast is flesh only? Doesnt explain the grades in between though.

I suspect you're right on the money with that, particularly given that seeds is where a lot of the heat comes from whereas the redder Kashmiri powders are much milder and probably don't contain any seeds at all, but as you say, flesh only.

[DalPuri]

I emailed MDH a few weeks ago asking what types of chillies they used in their deggi mirch.
They never replied. 

[spiceyokooko]

I emailed MDH a few weeks ago asking what types of chillies they used in their deggi mirch.
They never replied. 

I doubt you'll get an answer for the simple reason they don't want to admit how much of the content isn't actually Kashmiri chillies, but a cheaper filler substitute. Which is probably the reason it's coming out hotter than it should do.

[Peripatetic Phil]

You just accept them, because that's what it says on the packet!

No, I trust them because they are professional Indian spice suppliers who have been in business for almost 100 years.   

** Phil.