The Pantry / Dalle Khursani
Dalle Khursani
Capsicum annuum · dalle · akbare · cherry pepper
Round, red, and far hotter than it looks.
What it is
Dalle khursani is a small spherical chilli, bright red when ripe, that grows on a tall plant through the eastern Himalaya. The name means round chilli and describes it exactly. It runs between 100,000 and 350,000 on the Scoville scale, putting it alongside the habanero, and it carries a fruity sweetness underneath the heat that the long green chillies of the region do not have.
Where it comes from
Sikkim, the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills, eastern Nepal and Bhutan. Sikkim secured a GI tag for it in 2020 and the protection was extended to Darjeeling and Kalimpong the following year, which makes it one of the few ingredients in this pantry with a legal address.
What it's called
Dalle khursani (Nepali, round chilli) · dalle · akbare khursani · cherry pepper. Botanically Capsicum annuum, despite a heat level that suggests otherwise.
In the kitchen
Rarely cooked whole into a dish. It is eaten as a relish beside dal bhat, chopped small into a chutney for momo, or pickled in brine and oil as dalle achaar, which is how most of it reaches a kitchen outside the region. In Sikkim it also gets fermented with yak buttermilk. One chopped chilli is enough for a bowl of pickle.
What we know about the claims
The usual capsaicin claims apply and the usual caution with them. The practical warning matters more: at habanero strength this will burn hands and anything your hands touch afterwards, so wear gloves and do not rub your eyes.
Choosing and buying
Jarred dalle in brine is sold online by Sikkimese producers and is the realistic route in Britain, since the fresh chilli does not travel. Scotch bonnet is the nearest supermarket chilli by heat and shape, if not by flavour. In the US, jarred dalle from a Sikkimese producer or habanero as the fresh equivalent.