KASHMIRI CHILLI POWDER ( RED )
Every Kashmiri is a compulsive buyer of large food stocks essentially rice, edible oil and spices. He buys in kilograms what his counterparts in the plains buy in grams. His dishes must have oil and colour. For colour, he makes liberal use of red chilli powder. For dishes like Rogan Josh, chilli Korma, Rista, chicken, mutton balls, Damalu, fish, beans, brinjals, cheese and a variety of other popular Kashmiri dishes, Kashmiris use red chilli powder as the colouring agent. The vibrant red chilli powder imparts a rich flavour and colour to the dishes. This red chilli powder that upsets his stomach frequently remains a spice of choice with a Kashmiri. No matter he is a Pandit or a Muslim, you shall find him popping up antacid tablets or omperzole formulations habitually. I have yet to find a community buying medicines over the counter or doing self-medication the way Kashmiris do. A Kashmiri needs one prescription to keep buying the stuff life long for similar symptoms. Kashmiris suffer from bleeding haemorrhoids, duodenal or peptic ulcers, hypertension and various other digestive ailments primarily because of the enormous quantity of spices they consume. Medical professionals and pharmaceutical traders do a roaring business in Kashmir thriving essentially on this trait of Kashmiris.
Every day we have been looking at the
advertisements displaying the availability of original red powdered Kashmiri
chilli; original stuff from the valley, pungent, aromatic, the ultimate spice,
long, fleshy, seedless, deep red, natural food colouring agent and so on and so
forth. In Kashmir, I have seen the cooks
( Waza ) advising a bride or bridegroom’s family that red chilli powder
be purchased from Gana’s shop in Maharaj Ganj
or from Kalwal’s shop in Maharaja Bazar or from Haji Mohd Sharif Wani’s
Masala ( spices ) shop in Qaziyaar, ZainaKadal or Kanwal Spices , Anantnag for
the feast they propose to organise in their marriage function. Similarly in
Jammu, cooks engaged by Pandits for marriage functions advise them to buy red
chilli powder from Prasad Koul’s shop or from Jain Masala at Pacci Dakki or
from Ram Sham Traders in Subash Nagar, Jammu or from Kangan Spices, Udhaywala,
Jammu. The cooks, the bride’s or bridegroom’s family and the guests continue to
remain ignorant about the real story of much-hyped red chilli powder of
Kashmir. Leading Kashmiri chilli powder producing units of the state know it
better wherefrom to procure the raw material for this Kashmiri’s red chilli
powder.
Where are Kashmiri red chillis grown to such an astronomical commercial scale so as to feed the entire market of the state and throw tons of surplus for pan India markets and also set aside some stock for the international market? Can anyone make me understand? I could see chillies grown on a commercial scale in Noor Bagh, Bugaam area of Chadura or Pampore in Kashmir or some villages in Anantnag and Baramulla districts that too by individual farmers who generally use seeds imported from Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka. These seeds give a crop that has lesser seeds with fleshy red skin. Kashmir’s traditional red chilli crop is frequently hit by the pests. It is full of seeds with thin skin. This crop is insufficient even to cater to the demand of the consumers within the Kashmir valley. Add to this, there is no 'Save Kashmir Chilli' type of campaign from the government's side so as to bring more area under its cultivation or supply quality seeds at doorsteps to farmers or train them in the pest management of this crop. Much of the red chilli powder sold in the pan country market as ‘Kashmiri Mirch’ is actually obtained from the chillies grown in Andhra ( Guntur ), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Maharashtra and West Bengal. I have also seen red and fleshy chillies sold in various Mandis of Rajasthan especially Jaipur and Udaipur.
The botanical name of red chillies is capsicum annum. Chillies are also used for controlling rheumatic disorders. Chillies are a good source of vitamin c. Kashmiris burn them in Kangris (fire pots) to ward off evil spirits. Garlands of red chillies being dried under the sun on windows is a common scene to watch in Kashmir especially during the autumn season. Shopkeepers too have learnt the trick of the trade. They keep two or three gunny sacks of Kashmiri uncrushed chillies for customers to see but sell Andhra or Karnataka variety of red chilli powder. Kashmiris are not the only chilli lovers. Chillies are grown and consumed in China, Spain, Mexico, Morocco, Turkey and Pakistan.
Pungency, initial colour and colour retention properties are closely related to the maturity of the crop. If the harvested chillies are not properly dried and protected from rains or pests, it may lose colour, glossiness and pungency. Sun-drying is the age-old traditional method employed for drying the chillies. Chillies are now dried in solar dryers. One such solar dryer has been set up in Pampore which ensures complete drying in 4- 5 days. 100 kg of freshly plucked chillies gives just 25 kg of chilli powder after drying.
(Avtar Mota)
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