Indian Chilis

Mirch is the Hindi word for chili. Chilis were brought from South America to India by the Portuguese through their trading colony of Goa. India is now the largest producer and exporter of chilis in the world, growing a wide variety of different types, particularly in the south. The majority are left to ripen to red, and then sun dried. Photo of chilis drying in Rajasthan, northern India © i0091.

Indian chilis can be difficult to identify. Some sites say people in India only pay attention to "mild", "medium" and "hot", not named varieties. This is not precisely true - they know the mild, medium and hot chilis provided by their local merchants. These can be very specific types, but the merchants can be very inexact about names and origin.

This no longer works well. Indian communities are now scattered all over the world, and transportation of goods is fast and easy. Very accurate information should be made available as to exactly what kind of chili it is and exactly where it is from. This is not yet the case.

Since few identifiable varieties of Indian whole chilis are available in North America, even here Los Angeles, I have been able to take only a limited number of photos. Since I prefer not to "borrow" photos in violation of copyright, I have instead provided Links to some Indian sites that do have photos.



More on Chili Peppers.



Chili Varieties - Fresh & Dried

In India, chilis are generally used either fresh and green, or dried. Fresh red chilis are not so common in home cooking there.

Byadgi / Byadagi:

Dried Red. A long pointed chili, dark red and strongly wrinkled. The Dabbi variety is wider. Grown mainly in Karnataka, this chili has very little heat (H1, sometimes H2). It is much used in Goa and Karnataka, states on the south west coast of India, and is considered essential to Marathi cuisine. It is particularly valued for the bright red color it imparts. It is often used in Goda Masala (for recipes that include chili, not all do).

This chili is also often ground and sold as "Kashmiri Chili Powder". It also supports a large oleoresin extraction industry. The red oleoresin is much used as a coloring in food and cosmetic products. The photo specimens, up to 7-1/2 inches (19 cm) long and 5/8 inch (1.6 cm) across, were purchased from a large Indian market in Los Angeles.



Curd Chili

These are small green chilis soaked in yogurt or buttermilk and salt, then sun baked for nearly a week. Fry them in a little oil and serve as a condiment. They are used most on the west coast of India. Actually pretty tasty, hotness from H3 to H5, depending on what chilis were used. The photo specimens were Mullaku, about 1-7/8 inches long (48 mm), so quite hot. Dried green chilis, curd, salt.



Dhani

There are a great number of varieties of Bird's Eye Chilis in the world, but they all have a few things in common. They are all small, intensely hot (H8 to H9). Most ripen to deep red, but the ones I grow ripen to bright orange. Unripe, they are commonly green, but some are white, yellow, purple or black. The hottest varieties tend to be shorter and ripen point up (C. Frutescens). They are hottest just before turning red,losing a little heat when red, and more when they are dried.

While a number of varieties are available in India, used green, red and dried, Indian expatriates in North America are quite happy with the Thai Chilis (C. annuum) grown here in California, found in every Indian market. The photo shows fresh green and red Thai Chilis grown in California, and dried red ones from Thailand. The largest was 2.63 inches (6.7 cm) long (not counting stem) and 0.4 inch (1.0 cm) diameter.



Fresno Chili

This is not an Indian chili (at least not yet), but it has been chosen by all ethnicities in Southern California as the medium hot fresh red chili suitable for their cuisines. Their hotness is about H4-5. Core and seed them, but leave in the membranes (where the heat is) if you want heat. With the membranes carefully removed they are pretty low heat. They have good flavor, and the walls are quite thick, so they are not dried. For details see our Fresno Chili page.



Goan

Ramnad Mundu / Gundu Molzuka / Round:

[C. annuum]

Dried. A small almost spherical chili with shiny skin, an orange-red color and medium heat. It is grown particularly in the Ramnad district of southern Tamil Nadu, and is used in that state, particularly in the Chettinad cuisine. The photo specimens, purchased from a large Indian market in Los Angeles, seemed to vary from around H6 to H7. They ranged from 0.7 to 1.25 inches diameter, with most around 1.0 inch (2.5 cm).



Guntur Red

This is a non-specific term. Guntur, near the central coast of Andhra in southern India (just north of Tamil Nadu on the east coast of India) is a center for chili production, and the source of most exports from India. Notice: Guntur Chilis are illegal to import into the United States or the European Union due to excessive levels of pesticide residue . Photo copyright unknown - widely used by Indian exporters .

Many varieties are grown in Guntur, Here are a few examples:



Guntur Sannam S4: This is the major variety. It is usually around 5 inches (12.5 cm) long, narrow and hot (Scoville 35,000 to 40,000, our H8 ). About 280,000 metric tons per year are produced.

This is the major variety. It is usually around 5 inches (12.5 cm) long, narrow and hot (Scoville 35,000 to 40,000, our ). About 280,000 metric tons per year are produced. Wonder Hot: The hottest Guntur chili, (our H8 - H9 ).

The hottest Guntur chili, (our ). 334: A premium export chili.

A premium export chili. Teja and Phatki: Rather hot varieties.

"Indian Chili"

Indian Hot Green Chili

These started appearing in a Los Angeles produce market in January 2017, in place of the green chilis pictured above. They are a much more satisfactory Indian Chili, being quite hot (about H7). They have the thick taper at the cap end and the more wrinkly appearance I see in photos of Jawala chilis in India. The photo specimens were about 4-1/8 inches long and 0.38 inch diameter (10.5 x 1.0 cm).



Japone

This chili originated in Jalisco, Mexico, but has become well known in South and Southeast Asia, and China. Indian markets here in Southern California all have big bags of them, easily identifiable by having no caps or stems. In North America, it's pretty much the default dried red chili, available everywhere. It has good flavor and is moderately hot at low to mid H7.



Jwala

Fresh Green, but sometimes used dried red. This is the most popular hot green chili in India. They are long (about 5-1/2 inches (14 cm)), very narrow, a little wrinkled, and quite hot (about H7) - the name means "volcano" in Hindi. It is grown mainly in Gujarat (situated on the northwest coast of India). Subst: Serrano (hot end of range) or green de Arbol. Photo copyright uncertain - used by various chili and seed vendors in India and elsewhere .



Kanthari Mulaku - Red & White

[Bird Chili, Bird's Eye Chili; C. frutescens]

This Bird Chili is grown in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the far south of India. One variety has white pods until they ripen through yellow to bright orange red. Other varieties are green until they ripen to bright red. It is conical, small, 1.0 x 0.25 inch (2.5 x 0.6 cm) and very hot (H9). I have found these sold as "Moru Mulaku Vadagom" or Dried Green Curd Chilis (see Curd Chilis, above). Photo by Rojypala contributed to the Public Domain .



Kashmiri, True

Kashmiri:

Photo by Miansari66 contributed to the Public Domain

Naga Jolokia

This chili is grown in the far northeast of India, mainly the states of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur. It was famous for a while as the hottest chili known (2007), at about Scoville 1,041,427 (varies widely depending on where it is grown). It was displaced in 2012 by the "Trinidad Moruga Scorpion" at about Scoville 1,200,000, which was itself displaced in 2013 by the "Carolina Reaper" from U.S. South Carolina at over Scoville 2,200,000. While commonly red, it is also grow in white, yellow and purple varieties, and shape can also vary somewhat. Photo by Thaumaturgist distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported .



Nellore

Punjab Puya

Usually dried. A popular chili in northern India, which will grow in a wide variety of climates. It is about 4 inches (10 cm) long, 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) diameter, bright red and wrinkled. Very hot at about H9. Photo of Punjab chili from Kisan Suvidha under Fair Use Doctrine .



Reshampatti

Dried. A short, broad conical chili of a maroon color and medium heat (H4). It is very popular in Gujarat on the west coast, but is a fine chili for the cuisines of most of India. In Gujarat and Maharshtrian it is used to spice pickles. I have yet to see whole dried Reshampatti chilis here in Southern California, but fine flake is easily available in Indian markets here. It is deep red and quite flavorful. The photo specimens, purchased from a vendor in India, were typical. The largest was 2-7/8 inches (7.3 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide.

There is a lot of confusion about this chili. Some Internet sites show it as a long, thin, very hot chili, but the Indian sources from which I have bought reshampatti chilis, have them as wide and medium hot.



Serrano

Fresh Green. NOT an Indian Chili (yet), but now popular in Thailand. They are commonly used in place of Jawalas here in North America. All the Indian markets here carry them (but so does just about every other market). They have more flavor than most hot green chilis - but nobody seems to be complaining. They are fairly hot (about H6) and can be up to 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) long and 0.8 inch (2 cm) diameter.



Shimla Mirch:

This is the Bell Pepper available everywhere in North America. They are always available fresh and are only dried for use by industrial food processors. Box shaped to heart shaped, these are up to 5 inches (12.7 cm) across here in California, but may be a bit smaller in India. They feature thick, crisp and flavorful flesh with no heat (H0), though occasionally one will be found to have a faint trace of heat.



Tomato Chili / Warangal Chappatta:

Dried Vathals

Yellow





Chili Powders & Flake

Kashmir

Hotness H2. Less sweet and a bit hotter than Syrian Mild Aleppo, Kashmir chili powder is widely used in Indian cooking, particularly in the relatively softly spiced meat dishes of the north. It is rarely made from actual Kashmiri chilis, which are in very short supply, but from other mild, intensely red chilis, particularly Biadaji.



Paprika, Sweet

Khandela

This chili powder, actually usually a fine flake, is a bit less sweet and a bit hotter (H4) than Kashmir, and a good choice for all-around Indian cooking where you don't want too mild or too hot.



Reshampatti

Though whole reshampatti chilis are not much seen in North America, the ground version is very common in Indian markets here. This chili powder, often a fine flake, is a less sweet, significantly hotter (H4) and less red than Kashmir, and a good choice for all-around Indian cooking.

There is confusion about this name. Some sites and vendors list reshampatti as "very hot" and show long thin red chilis. The photo specimen I ground myself from the wide reshampatti chilis I purchased directly from India, so I know exactly what it is.



India Extra Hot

White Chili Powder

This ground chili powder is used a fair amount in India to spice up recipes with white sauces (all white feasts were popular with the ruling class during the Moghul empire period). I'm not sure how it's made but it's an extremely fine powder and about as hot as Reshampatti ( H4), but it lacks the distinctive flavor of red chili peppers. Consider it a "hottening agent" only, but much safer to use than capsaicin extracts.



1 - Some Pictures - India Study Channel.

2 - Some Pictures - WebIndia123.