Red Chilli Powder

About this one

Red chilli powder is the spice where adulteration is most common and hardest to spot. A dull lot can be dyed to look vivid, and weight can be made up with husk or bran. You'd rarely tell by looking. You tell by cooking — the colour bleeds out and the heat never arrives.

Ours is made from sun-dried chillies bought at harvest, de-stemmed and cleaned before grinding. The colour in the pouch is the colour that goes into your gravy.

Ground in small batches so the grinder stays cool. Chilli is unforgiving of heat while grinding: run it hot and you get a bright powder that smells of nothing.

How to use it

• Add to hot oil with the heat lowered. Chilli burns fast and turns bitter within seconds.
• For colour without much heat, bloom it briefly in oil or ghee before the onions go in.
• Start with half of what a recipe asks for until you know how this one behaves.

What is in it

Ground dried red chilli (100%). No added colour, starch or anti-caking agent.

Allergens: None. Packed in a facility that also handles other ground spices.

Keeping it good

Store in the sealed pouch, cool and dry, away from direct sunlight. Use a dry spoon — moisture is what causes caking. Do not keep it above the stove; the heat and steam will flatten the aroma within weeks.

Questions about this product