Ema Datshi

Ema datshi is basically a simple dish of cheese and chilli (curry type)  which I tasted in Bhutan in my recent trip there.

This year on my Birthday I visited Bhutan, a very small, peaceful and spiritual country with Nik.

Apart from having different experiences there like trying archery, trekking the tiger’s Nest monastery, river rafting in Machu River, praying and meditating, We also tasted some of the best local foods there out of which “Ema Datshi” was our favourite.

Its a national dish of Bhutan and that is why staple dish of every household there. It is very simple and easy to make. It tastes divine with Bhutanese Red rice but equally tastes good with normal white rice too.

‘Ema Datshi’ simply means ema = Chilli and datshi = cheese.

Bhutan is very famous for its hot and spicy chillies and that is the reason why this dish tastes divine there with the local organically grown chillies.

As not all vegetables are grown in Bhutan, the cheese curry is like a base for different dishes and that is why there are different versions of this Datshi like ‘kewa datshi’ meaning Potato cheese, ‘Shamu datshi meaning mushroom cheese, ‘Sag datshi meaning spinach cheese , Semchum Datshi meaning beans and cheese etc etc.

Basically when we cook any vegetable with cheese it becomes a datshi. This dish is made with no oil at all which makes it stand out.

so here is the quick recipe of it which you all can try and relish on.

Cooking time : 15-20 mins

Serving : 2

Ingredients:

•  4-5 green chillies ( this will depend on how hot you want the dish). Here I have taken the spicy , fuller ones which we use to make Bharwa Mirchi. Please dont take pepper, you need spicy chillies for this dish.
•  2-3 dried red chillies
•  1 medium size onion
•  1 medium size tomato
•  7-8 pods of garlic
•  1 tsp pepper powder
•  2 -3 full fat cheese cubes ( cheese whichever you like)
•  Salt according to taste
•  1-2 cups of water
•  1 spoon of oil ( this dish is basically Oil free but I added 1 spoon oil)

Directions :

•  Cut the green chillies, red chillies, tomato and onion vertically and keep them ready
•  crush the garlic to fine paste and also the pepper pods( if you are using pods)
•  Heat a pan in which you want to cook  the datshi and put only a tea spoon of oil. [Oil is completely optional in   this recipe as this Dish is actually oil free one]
•  Once the oil is hot add the cut veggies one by one including garlic and stir it for about 2-3 mins
•  After the veggies slightly turn soft add 1 cup of water and let it come to boil
•  After 7-8 min when the water is boiling away and the veggies are cooking inside, cover it with lid and let it cook   for another 4-5 mins.
•  At this stage you can see a lot of steam coming from sides of the lid, this is the time when you add your cheese cubes to it. You can add the cheese cubes according to how cheesy you want the curry to be.
•  when you add the cheese it starts melting right away. If the cheese and the veggies mixture has turned very dry   add another cup of water in it and let it simmer till the cheese cubes melts completely and you can see a smooth   white sauce bubbling away. Alternatively you can also add cheese sauce ( made before hand) in this.
•  At this point season it with pepper and salt.
•  If you want your curry to be little runny you can add more water but keep it medium thick and not very runny.
•  When the cheese completely dissolves and teh curry turns slightly sticky, turn off the gas and cover it with lid for   another 2 mins.
•  Serve this with hot rice and pickle, chutney and salad.
•  Simmering Hot Ema datshi with rice tastes amazing.

Variations:

•  You can make cheese sauce from before (by dissolving cheese in water and milk )and then add to this dish while  making it too. you can also add ready made cheese sauce or cheese spread if you like too.
•  You can also add potatoes , mushrooms, corn in this dish along with chillies.