Chilli Powder -- Looking for a Recommendation?

crvlvr · Sep 11th, 2007, 06:43

My chilli powder ran out recently and I went to pick up a new packet at our local Indian store in Los Angeles. There, I was confronted by many dofferent brands. Assuming that chilli powder was, after all, just chilli powder, I ended up focusing on a brand (Laxmi) with the best looking packaging and then was drawn to the "Xtra hot" variety -- thinking that it would apply only to americans who had not yet developed the taste for spicy food.

The first time I used it, I was agast!

the dishes ended up really really and nasty hot. Quantities were adjusted downward and recipies retried. However, the taste of the chilli just did not seem right.. It tasted, how shall I say, raw (this was even after the powder was fried in oil).

So, I went back and bought (again Laxmi brand) the regular chilli powder. With this the dishes turned out a little better, but still not up to snuff.

Who knew that chilli powder could taste so diifferent from brand to brand. Do you have any recommendations for chilli powder brands that are available outside India?

The powder that I liked was a no brand, but the store label stated, "Andhra Chilli Powder"..

machadinha · Sep 11th, 2007, 07:15

No real advice Crv, except that

Quote:

The "heat" of chili peppers is measured in Scoville units (SHU). Bell peppers rank at 0 (SHU), New Mexico green chilis at about 1,500 SHU, jalapeños at 3,000–6,000 SHU, and habaneros at 300,000 SHU. The record for the hottest chili pepper was assigned by the Guinness Book of Records to the Naga Jolokia, measuring over 1,000,000 SHU. Pure capsaicin, which is a hydrophobic, colorless, odorless, crystalline to waxy solid at room temperature, measures 16,000,000 SHU.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

So take your pick I guess

MangoKulfi · Sep 11th, 2007, 07:25

Laxmi brand is the most popular overseas but other brands like Deep, Nirav, Rani and Kohinoor are also good.

To get rid of the raw taste, frying the powder in oil is the best way but you already tried that.

I prefer the orangish looking powders as compared to the darker red ones. They have paprika mixed in them and taste different.

edwardseco · Sep 11th, 2007, 07:45

Naga Jolokia got a big writeup in the local paper. So where do you get it from.?

Hyderabadi · Sep 11th, 2007, 08:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by crvlvr

The powder that I liked was a no brand, but the store label stated, "Andhra Chilli Powder"..

Sure, no surprise, the Indian cuisine - most feared, but appreciated all the same can't be using the wrong chilli powder.....?

Jokes apart, being from Andhra Pradesh, we simply don't, period, trust the chilli powders from anywhere, other than from Andhra. We get it triple vacuum packed from back home, not just for the taste but heat too!

I hear that the early Andhra em/immigrants to this country were a source of great sorrow , for the 'sniffing' dogs at airports.

Hyderabadi · Sep 11th, 2007, 08:56

If all else fails try 'Priya' brand, if that fails too, don't hesitate to PM me.

Wanderer22 · Sep 11th, 2007, 09:05

I've got a productive Habanero bush in my greenhouse this year...

Haven't worked up the courage to try cooking with them yet but I will remember the words of a wise Mexican... "Don't rub your eyes, Gringo"!

W22

wonderwomanusa · Sep 11th, 2007, 09:09

I always buy the no-brand chile powder in the Mexican section at Safeway; it's hot enough for me and works well in the recipes where I use it. And it's dirt cheap!

GauhatiBoy · Sep 11th, 2007, 09:31

Raw (fresh) chiles taste best

I heard that bhut jolokia is a really mild chile with a lot of flavor (not really--new Guiness record for hottest in the world). Keep a fire extinguisher on the dining table if you are using it.

For a not-too-hot (but still warm), flavorful chile, Korean ground chile sold in big bags for making kim chee is really good.

The more you eat hot chiles, the less hot they taste and the more you taste the flavor.

shashank.aggarwal · Sep 11th, 2007, 10:30

Chilli powder comes in two forms...over here we call "Pisa hua" and other one is "Kuta hua"..

The difference is that in one chillies are powdered using machines and they take the form of regular powder..

The other and more popular one is done by hand..and its not very fine..like the powder..

GauhatiBoy · Sep 11th, 2007, 10:33

The Korean one I recommended is coarsely ground, not powdered.

crvlvr · Sep 11th, 2007, 23:51

Mangokulfi and Hyderabadi, I will try the brands you recommend.

Hyderabadi, yes, andhra chilli powder is hot.. But I find the flavor more, lets say agreeable (?) than some other chilli powders that are just nasty..

WW, apparently rhe Mexican chilli is not pure chilli powder but a few spices mixed in . I'll give that try too, if my attempts fail.

thanks all

AvidTrekker · Sep 12th, 2007, 00:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by edwardseco

Naga Jolokia got a big writeup in the local paper. So where do you get it from.?

After reading about naga jholokia or bhuut jholokia, even i wanted to try it out. Its available only in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh etc. Maybe some diehard assamese in Kolkata would also buy it from an assam store in Kolkata.

The term bhuut Jholokia is interesting. Bhuut or bhoot means "ghosts". Jholok means "a brief sighting". Apparently one sees ghosts for a second or two after ingesting this variety...

[which is why i wanted to try it out.... not for its "chilli heat"

]

Nick-H · Sep 12th, 2007, 00:44

My friends never buy chily powder. They are too concerned about what it might contain. Brick dust, for one thing!

So the ingredients are dried on the roof (not just chilly, garlic and maybe other stuff too) and ground either by machine or by hand in their own houses.

Large packets are sent to relatives abroad through friendly travellers.

Oddly enough, the only time I've ever been stopped by Customs (in London) I was asked if we were carrying any food. I said, 'only a few sweets and a little chilly powder from India'.

They let us go. We only had about four kilos of the stuff!

ananda2193 · Sep 12th, 2007, 00:46

I always buy my chili's from a chinese-asian supermarket. They sell those big bags of red, dried chilis and I just grind them up in a coffee grinder. I think they have a good heat and flavor to them that equals anything I've come across. And those big bags will last a long time.

Sep 11th, 2007, 06:43	#1
crvlvr Guru Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood Posts: 4,413	Chilli Powder -- Looking for a Recommendation? My chilli powder ran out recently and I went to pick up a new packet at our local Indian store in Los Angeles. There, I was confronted by many dofferent brands. Assuming that chilli powder was, after all, just chilli powder, I ended up focusing on a brand (Laxmi) with the best looking packaging and then was drawn to the "Xtra hot" variety -- thinking that it would apply only to americans who had not yet developed the taste for spicy food. The first time I used it, I was agast! the dishes ended up really really and nasty hot. Quantities were adjusted downward and recipies retried. However, the taste of the chilli just did not seem right.. It tasted, how shall I say, raw (this was even after the powder was fried in oil). So, I went back and bought (again Laxmi brand) the regular chilli powder. With this the dishes turned out a little better, but still not up to snuff. Who knew that chilli powder could taste so diifferent from brand to brand. Do you have any recommendations for chilli powder brands that are available outside India? The powder that I liked was a no brand, but the store label stated, "Andhra Chilli Powder"..

Sep 11th, 2007, 10:30	#10
shashank.aggarwal Mr. Badboy :D Join Date: May 2007 Location: ~ Dilli ~ Posts: 5,173	Chilli powder comes in two forms...over here we call "Pisa hua" and other one is "Kuta hua".. The difference is that in one chillies are powdered using machines and they take the form of regular powder.. The other and more popular one is done by hand..and its not very fine..like the powder.. __________________ Travelogue - Around India Random Reviews

Sep 12th, 2007, 00:44	#14
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 25,832	My friends never buy chily powder. They are too concerned about what it might contain. Brick dust, for one thing! So the ingredients are dried on the roof (not just chilly, garlic and maybe other stuff too) and ground either by machine or by hand in their own houses. Large packets are sent to relatives abroad through friendly travellers. Oddly enough, the only time I've ever been stopped by Customs (in London) I was asked if we were carrying any food. I said, 'only a few sweets and a little chilly powder from India'. They let us go. We only had about four kilos of the stuff! __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

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Sep 11th, 2007, 07:25	#3
MangoKulfi Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA Posts: 54	Laxmi brand is the most popular overseas but other brands like Deep, Nirav, Rani and Kohinoor are also good. To get rid of the raw taste, frying the powder in oil is the best way but you already tried that. I prefer the orangish looking powders as compared to the darker red ones. They have paprika mixed in them and taste different.

Sep 11th, 2007, 07:45	#4
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,784	Naga Jolokia got a big writeup in the local paper. So where do you get it from.?

Sep 11th, 2007, 08:56	#6
Hyderabadi Maha Guru Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: GA,USA. Posts: 1,083	If all else fails try 'Priya' brand, if that fails too, don't hesitate to PM me.

Sep 11th, 2007, 09:05	#7
Wanderer22 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 449	I've got a productive Habanero bush in my greenhouse this year... Haven't worked up the courage to try cooking with them yet but I will remember the words of a wise Mexican... "Don't rub your eyes, Gringo"! W22

Sep 11th, 2007, 09:09	#8
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 3,250	I always buy the no-brand chile powder in the Mexican section at Safeway; it's hot enough for me and works well in the recipes where I use it. And it's dirt cheap!

Sep 11th, 2007, 09:31	#9
GauhatiBoy Not sure where I'm from Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oregon USA Posts: 284	Raw (fresh) chiles taste best I heard that bhut jolokia is a really mild chile with a lot of flavor (not really--new Guiness record for hottest in the world). Keep a fire extinguisher on the dining table if you are using it. For a not-too-hot (but still warm), flavorful chile, Korean ground chile sold in big bags for making kim chee is really good. The more you eat hot chiles, the less hot they taste and the more you taste the flavor.

Sep 11th, 2007, 10:33	#11
GauhatiBoy Not sure where I'm from Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oregon USA Posts: 284	The Korean one I recommended is coarsely ground, not powdered.

Sep 11th, 2007, 23:51	#12
crvlvr Guru Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood Posts: 4,413	Mangokulfi and Hyderabadi, I will try the brands you recommend. Hyderabadi, yes, andhra chilli powder is hot.. But I find the flavor more, lets say agreeable (?) than some other chilli powders that are just nasty.. WW, apparently rhe Mexican chilli is not pure chilli powder but a few spices mixed in . I'll give that try too, if my attempts fail. thanks all

Sep 12th, 2007, 00:46	#15
ananda2193 Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: you essay Posts: 1,382	I always buy my chili's from a chinese-asian supermarket. They sell those big bags of red, dried chilis and I just grind them up in a coffee grinder. I think they have a good heat and flavor to them that equals anything I've come across. And those big bags will last a long time.

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