The Pantry / Kashmiri chilli powder
Kashmiri chilli powder
Colour first, heat second — the red that makes a gravy glow.
What it is
Kashmiri chilli powder is ground from a mild, deep-red dried chilli, and its job is as much colour as heat — it lends a rich, glowing red to a gravy without the fierce burn of hotter powders. It is the reason many restaurant-style dishes look so vivid.
Where it comes from
Named for the Kashmiri chilli, though much sold under the name is a blend chosen for the same mild-heat, high-colour profile. It belongs to the visual language of northern gravy cooking.
What it's called
Kashmiri red chilli powder · Kashmiri lal mirch. Ground from Kashmiri or Kashmiri-style dried chillies.
In the kitchen
Stirred into a gravy for deep red colour and gentle warmth — butter chicken, rogan josh, tandoori marinades all lean on it. Where a recipe wants colour without heat, this is the powder; hotter cooks add a separate fierce chilli for the burn.
What we know about the claims
Standard chilli content and caution — a flavour and a colour, eaten to taste. Nothing beyond the usual heat note, which here is mild.
Choosing and buying
Sold as Kashmiri chilli powder in every South Asian grocer (UK and US). If unavailable, mild paprika plus a little hot chilli powder approximates the colour-and-heat balance.