Dear Mamta,

in a few of your recipes (like Kidney Bean Curry) your ingredients include chilli powder or lal mirch. Are these the same thing or lal march more akin perhaps to cayenne pepper?

I tried googling it but kept on coming up with a Japanese cartoon character!

Winton

I don't speak hindi very well but I think that translates as red (lal) chilli (mirch).

So it might just be red chilli, powder I'd guess?

Ma?

Try Lal Mirchi.

Yes, it is chilli powder. This is for heat.

In Indian cooking, you sometimes see an ingredient listed as paprika powder or Shimla mirch powder or "rang waali mirchi" (the chilli with/for colour). All these words mean is that it is sweet chilli powder, which is just to add colour to a dish, not heat.

In recipe 10288, I had forgotten to write down chilli powder to ingredients, I have just added it.

In recipe 10014, the one you are asking about, I have changed lal mirch to just mirch, to keep it simple.

Mamta

yes, lal mirch is Hindi for red chilli pepper, although it would also describe the fresh fruit.

Cayenne needs a bit of explanation. Although there is a chilli variety called cayenne, (and fresh it is very good it is for Indian cuisine) cayenne pepper is now applied to any chilli pepper, regardless of variety. Originally it was named after the port in French Guiana from where chilli pepper was exported, much as chillies in India were called Goan pepper, as their port of import, and distribution.

Thanks for the interesting explanations.

Had gone ahead using (what was at least labelled) cayenne and the result was very good. Luckily I made double so am looking forward to my even better 'left-over Rajma' tomorrow.

Winton