[CH] Indian Chiles
Shantihhh@aol.com
Sun, 9 Sep 2001 18:44:32 EDT
I made the comment chiles in India weren't Cayenne. Well, it was pointed out
to me that they all are. Well, what I was trying to say was they aren't our
common cayenne we have in the US of A. Also there are some chiles that are
NOT Cayennes in India. I have been gathering infer on the Chiles of India
and Thailand over the last 30 trips in the last 15 years. I am by no
implying this is all inclusive! LOL Just a wee bit of a record.
Any input of other Indian Chiles greatly appreciated. Thai as well!
Mary-Anne
Kashmiri Mirch is one of my favorite Indian Chiles as it addsmild heat with
a fruity non but bitter flavor. It is found in a ground form in many Indian
Markets and is just labeled Kashmiri Mirch. Whole dried pods are also
available. Watch for the proper coloring of deep crimson. Kashmir The true
Kashmir chile is native to the northern-most state of India and is much in
demand for its bright crimson colouring, a quality it imparts to cooking. So
much is the Kashmir chile (Kashmir Mirch) in demand that there is not enough
total annual crop, to go round, and pretenders or mock-Kashmir chiles are
passed off in its place. The true Kashmiri chile is deep crimson with a
smooth, shiny, thin skin when dried. It is about 5 cm long by 2.5 cm wide and
has a fruity flavour. Heat level is 4.
Lal Mirch Red Cayenne from India. NOT the same as the above by any means IMHO
Azr (Capsicum frutescens) is often used green fresh or dried red in many
dishes. 5 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. Heat level 5-7.
Bengali Naga An Indian variety with Habanero like heat levels. Usually eaten
when green. The aroma is fruity but the heat leaves your mouth numb. This is
a killer chile!
I often find Indian P-C1 chile seeds in emporiums in Delhi and grow them here
in California. They are very hot; 2" long, 1/4" wide fruit; pods orange-red
with a curve at the end and tapering to a point; grows upright in clusters;
East Indian variety; used green fresh, dried-red. From east India. I would
guess this is similiar to "Tezpur" LOL
Pusa Jwala/Pusa Jawala which is of medium heat; 4"-5" x 1/2" wrinkled fruit
with thin skin; very prolific. Often eaten green. Another favorite of mine,
which is fairly common in India.
Tomato Grown in Warangal, Khammam, East & West Godavari districts of Andhra
Pradesh, India. Deep red pods. Harvesting season is December to March. Yjese
are fairly large Chiles and wide. Often smoked and dried they impart a
wonderful smoky flavor. I have used these in Thai Chile fried Rice asI often
run out of my favorite Thai ones from Warrarut Market in Chaing Mai.
New Delhi Long (Capsicum annuum) is very hot; 4" long by 1/2" wide;
matures from green to red, it is hotter than Elephant Trunk.
Sonepat A dried yellow/orange chile from India's Punjab, used for imparting a
yellow colour to curries. Heat level is 5.
Suryankhi which is very hot, similiar in heat to the Thai Bird Chile 1" long
by 1/4" wide; fruits are produced in clusters upright.
Kalia From India. Deep red, short, with smooth skin. Pointed tip. Heat level
is 6
Bedgi From the area west of India's Goa, the Bedgi or Byadagi is wrinkly and
red and is often chocolate brown when dried. It is 5-7.5 cm long and 8 mm
wide. It is quite aromatic. Heat level is 3.
Punjabi Hot is indeed-very hot; 2" long by 1/2" wide; pods mature to dark red
almost black from Eastern India. I have only seen this used red/dried.
Raja's Pride and Bagalore Torpedoare East Indian hot peppers.
Maharati An Indian variety.
Manesru Variety from India. Fruit pointed, 2 to 3 inches long by 1 inch
broad; red, hot.
Laungi From India.
MI-2 A cayenne type from Sri Lanka. (ADVRC designation PBC 462) Also in Madras
Ruhunu Miris A cayenne type pepper from Sri Lanka.
Merakai From India. Fruit short, 1.5 inches by 2 inches, red and hot.
Merch From India. Fruit orange, 2 by 3/8 inches; hot.
Mirch From India. Fruit scarlet to crimson, 1.25 to 1.5 inches long, 1 inch
across base, blunt; flesh sweet to mildly pungent.
Mircha From India. Fruit pointed, 1 inch long, red, very pungent; bushy plant
3ft high.
Kahari Mirch From India. 2 inch long, upright growing peppers. Heat level is
6.5 A type of chile de Arbol.
Molagai From India. Fruit red, conical, hot.
NP 51 Variety from Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
NPU 6A Variety from Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
NS 101 F1 Hybrid Indian variety. Dark green 10-12cm peppers that mature to
red. 70-75 days. Medium heat.
NS 1101 F1 Hybrid Indian variety. Light green 7-9cm peppers that mature to
red. 70 days. Tolerant to thrips and viruses.
NS 1420 F1 Hybrid Indian variety. Dark green 11-13cm peppers that mature to
red. 70-75 days.
NS 1701 F1 Hybrid Indian variety. Light green 8-9cm peppers that mature to
red. 75 days. Tolerant to thrips and viruses. Hot.
Pusa Sadabahar A cayenne type from India. Resistant to PVY.
Pungent Pride From India.
Punjab Dark red, hot, small, east Indian chile. (Capsicum frutescens).
Punjab Lal Cayenne type from India.
Asam (Capsicum frutescens) ripens to an orange-red and is used in the
Northeast India.. Very thin-walled Indian pepper. 3cm long by 0.5 cm wide.
Heat level 9.5
Naga Jolokia A new variety from the hilly regions of Assam (India). It
recorded 855000SHU in recent tests, making it the hottest ever chile
pepper. (Capsicum frutescens)
"Elephant Trunk" (Capsicum annuum) is another NE Indian chile, it is 6" long
and medium-low heat. It is thrown whole into dishes mainly when green. Deep
red in color when ripe.
Trupti is-medium heat; 4-5" long by 3/8" wide; slender fruits are often
curved like a fishhook; good for pickling; East Indian variety and to me the
same as Elephant Trunk.
ET & T are also found in Western Burma, although seem milder in heat when
grown in Burma.
Ravistani Cayenne Dark red, very long and slender, 6" long and 1/2" across is
similiar to the above.
Cobra Snake shaped hot chile that grows to 6 inches long. From India.
Agni Sikha II From India.
India Red From India. 25,000 SHU.
Indian A cayenne variety from India.
AKC-86-39 Cayenne type from India. (Capsicum annuum).
Calcutta Long Bright red pods 1/4 inch across and 2 inches long.
Desi Teekhi (Capsicum chinense). Pods have an irregular shape and average
1/2 inch in thickness and 2 inches in length. Thin walled. Matures to a deep
red. Compact plants are about 2 feet tall and are suitable for growing in
large pots. 120 days.
Dhani Grown in Mizoram & some areas of Manipur in India. Blood red in colour
and highly pungent. The Indian version of the Birds Eye chile pepper.
Harvesting season is October to December.
Goan A tiny red tepin style chile from Goa, India. Heat level is 7.
Dundicut (Dandicut) (Capsicum chinense) Developed and grown in the Tharparkar
region of Sindh, Pakistan. Pods range from spherical to teardrop shaped and
average 1 inch in diameter. Strong fruity aroma, ripening to a deep ruby red
colour. This pepper is commercially cultivated in Pakistan and is considered
indispensable for many dishes. Heat is highly variable (about level 7) and
ranges from 50,000 up to 150,000 SHU. Although a Pakistan Chile it is often
seen in Rajastan in North India.
Giant Long Kashmir Sweet An East Indian variety of sweet pepper. (Capsicum
annuum).
Gujurati An Indian variety.
Gulbarga A town in central south India which grows a particular chile which
is sold (erroneously) as the Kashmiri chile. Consequently, it is called the
Mock-Kashmiri. The Gulbarga, with its long thin wrinkled fleshy appearance
does not remotely resemble the true Kashmiri, despite its nice crimson
colour, neither does it have the flavour of the Kashmiri. Heat level is 4.
Guntur A district of India, north of Madras, with prolific chile growing. The
Guntur or Andra chile is about 5 cm long by 2 cm wide, with a sharp point. It
has a good deep red colour when dried and, is the chile most likely to be
used as the major component in standard Indian chile powder. Heat level is
6-7.
Guntur Sannam S4 Grown in Guntur,Warangal and Khammam districts of Andhra
Pradesh, India. Skin is thick. Pods mature to red and are hot. Harvesting
season is December to May.
Ramnad Mundu Grown in Ramnad district of Tamilnadu, India Yellowish red and
hot when ripe. Harvesting season is March to May
Suryamkhi Cluster (Surya) Small fruits 1/4 inch across and 1 inch long are
borne upright, bright red and very hot. From East India.
Tejaswini A very hot and heavy-bearing Indian hybrid, with peppers measuring
1 inch by 3 inches. Green maturing to red.
Tinelveli A small cherry type chile, also called Tirinevelly, from the deep
south of India. About 8 mm in diameter, it is conical in shape. Heat level is
6.
Achar is often stuffed Red or Green It is stuffed w/dried mango,
fenugreek,coriander, mustard,fennel, tumeric, cumin, bishop's weed, and
nigella. This is most popular in Bombay I think. From India. 3-4 inches
long and 1 inch thick. Deep red colour. Mildly pungent.
Bombay Hot Cherry Hybrid Small, spherical, dark red chiles from central
India, about 6 mm-1.25 cm in diameter. Heat level is 4. This one is often
stuffed as well. Sometimes with ground cashews and spices.
Here is info on Cayenne which indeed is the parent/heading for many of
India's Chiles, but I don't think all.
Cayenne (Capsicum annuum). Undoubtedly the most widely used chile in Indian
and Indo-Chinese cookery, the Cayenne derived its name from the Tupi Indians
of the Cayenne district of French Guiana, from whence the Portuguese
transported it to Asia around 1500AD. It no longer grows in French Guiana.
The Cayenne chile is long and thin with a sharp point, and there are numerous
varieties ranging in size from 20 cm long by 2 cm wide, down to miniature
size (see Thai Miniature) as little as 1.25 cm long by 3 mm wide. The
varieties used prolifically in Indian cookery are generally between 10 cm and
5 cm in length. More of a tree-like than bush plant, growing to three feet
high and two feet wide. Heat level is 7. 30,000 to 50,000 SHU.
Mary-Anne, List Owner
USDA Zone 9b, Sunset Zone 14/15
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