Green Chili

The green chili is a colonial-era arrival that India took to with total commitment — slit into dals, fried whole into temperings, blistered into chutneys. Heat in the modern kitchen means capsicum’s fruit.

The archaic temple kitchens drew the line: at Puri the sanctum’s heat still comes from black pepper, long pepper and ginger — the pre-Columbian trilogy — and the chili stays outside with the potato. Both kitchens are honoured in this collection; the recipes say which they follow.