Most westerners automatically equate Indian cuisine with spices and chillies. Very few realise that one cannot generalise the sub continent’s food as “Indian.” While degrees of “heat” are associated with the food of some regions, it can, in no way, be bracketed as the defining factor.
There are, however, a few specialities of which, chillies are an integral part, and surprisingly many of them are not Indian in origin. The cuisine of Bhutan, for instance, largely relies on a local variety of chilli for many of their dishes. One can see bunches of these big red chillies hung out to dry outside Bhutanese homes.
Mexico, home to the Habanero chilli, is another country known for “hot” food. The Portuguese introduced chillies to India around the 15th century and the locals took to it immediately as black pepper was expensive.
Till late the Mexican Habanero was thought to be the hottest chilli in the world but the crown was recently awarded to an Indian variety, The Bhut Jolokia or Naga Jolokia cultivated in Assam is so fiery that the defence forces are using its extracts to create mob dispersal bombs. Forest rangers also use the chilli to drive away rogue elephants in north-east India. The “heat” factor of chillies is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which is basically the number of times a chilli extract needs to be diluted in water for it to lose its potency. The Bhut Jolokia has a mind (and tongue) numbing count of 16,00,000 SHUs. In other words, extract from a single Bhut Jolokia needs to be diluted 16 lakh times before it ceases to be hot. Go figure.
People from the north-east who use the chilli in cooking usually use a single chilli many times. Some tie a string to it, dip it into the curry for a few seconds and take it out, to be used again later.

Ema Datsi (Bhutanese Cheese and Chilli)

There are different variations of this but the best is the mashed potato version. The cheese used in Bhutan is local and has a unique flavour that can’t be replicated. It also does not melt in boiling water. In India, we use cheddar as a replacement.

Ingredients
5 potatoes, boiled and mashed; 10 dried red Kashmiri chillies; 200 gm grated cheddar cheese;
5 cloves garlic, crushed; salt to taste, water

Method
Soak the chillies in warm water for 20 minutes. Reserve the water. In a hot heavy-bottomed pan add potatoes, garlic and the grated cheese. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spatula. Add chillies and water and cook till the cheese dissolves and the mixture is smooth — not too dry and not too wet. Add salt. Serve hot with rice.
Note: You can increase or decrease the chillies and the cheese according to your taste.

Mexican Chilli Con Carne

With international recognition, the Chilli Con Carne has become much milder than the original Tex-Mex variety, but one only has to increase the amount of chilli powder for more heat.

Ingredients
1 kg mutton mince; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 ½ cup kidney beans or rajma, soaked overnight and boiled; 1 onion, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 packet tomato puree; 1 tbsp chilli powder (use Kashmiri chilli powder for more colour and less heat); 1 cup water; 1 tsp oregano;1 tsp salt

Method
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium flame. Add oil. When hot, add sliced onions and garlic. When the onions turn translucent add the rest of the ingredients except the kidney beans. Cover and let it cook for an hour on low heat stirring occasionally., Add more water if required. Add kidney beans and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve with rice or Goan pao (bread).