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MDH Deggi Mirch
The quintessential red blend
TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR
Deggi Mirch is a chili powder, usually used for curries. It’s an age-old, unique mixture made from special varieties of Indian red chillies, like red bell peppers and Kashmiri chillies. It is a distinctly Indian spice, and what gives tandoori, curries, sambhars, biryanis, etc., their particular red-orange hue.
Despite it being made of chillies, it is only mildly hot, but definitely full of flavor. It’s only slightly hotter than paprika, even tasting similar in powder form. But when fried in oil, MDH Deggi Mirch heats up a bit, and releases that delicious intense flavor.
PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS
Deggi Mirch will go with anything that you want to add more flavor and color to. Give your tandoori its classic look, provide your biryanis with its orange-gold tint.
For best results, you can fry some chopped onions in oil, and add some diced tomatoes. Add MDH Deggi Mirch, and stir until homogenized, and its bright red color starts to appear. Cook whatever dish you’ve prepared as usual.
If your dish does not include tomatoes, reduce your heat and add the Deggi Mirch into the pan. Once its color starts to brighten, cook your dish as usual.
SPICE KING
Hailed as the Spice King for pioneering the concept of ready-to-use spices, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati was born on March 27, 1923 in Sialkot, British India (present-day Pakistan). He was an Indian businessman, and founder and CEO of MDH Spices.
His father, Mahashay Chunnilal Gulati, set up a spice shop by the name of Mahashian Di Hatti, or Deggi Mirch Wale, in Sialkot, and he dropped out at the age of 10 to help out and expand the shop.
In 1927, during the partition of India, he and his family moved to New Delhi, where he restarted his father’s spice company under the same name. He began with only a tonga (horse carriage), and found success progressively, setting up a small wooden pop-up in 1958, and eventually going on to build a spice empire. He died on December 3, 2020, at the age of 97.
Storage Instructions
Keep your spices tightly covered and store them in a cool, dry place. Whole spices stay fresh for up to 2 years while ground spices have a 6-month shelf life. Pro tip: red spices such as paprika and red pepper can be stored in the refrigerator to hold their color and keep their flavor longer. Keep away from sunlight and heat.
