What is Deggi Mirch?
Perfect for adding a touch of heat to your curries and cooking.
Deggi Mirch is a distinctive Indian spice made from a blend of colourful red capsicums and Kashmiri Red Chillies. It adds a mild heat and a deep red-orange colour to soups, Tandoori Chicken and other traditional dishes.
Deggi Mirch is full-flavoured but relatively mild in heat. It is slightly hotter than Paprika but is used more to add colour and taste than heat to dishes. Paprika measures about 500 Scoville units, while deggi mirch is around 1,500 to 2,000 Scoville heat units.
When dry, deggi mirch can taste similar to paprika, but when it is fried in oil, the spice comes into its own to give more heat and adds a different flavour to the dish.
In Northern India, it is liberally added to chicken/vegetable curries, dhals as well as Naan and paratha breads. While in the Southern states, it is often used in kebabs, adding colour and flavour to rice, dhals, Sambhars, soups and stews.
For a simple base for any dish, fry sliced onions in oil until golden. Add chopped tomatoes and Deggi Mirch and stir until well-mixed with an even red colour. If you are not using tomatoes, reduce the heat, and stir in the Deggi Mirch until the onions are an even red colour. Then proceed to cook your dish as normal.
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