This is one of my favourite winter dishes. Not only is this recipe so easy to make but it's so wholesome and filling. Ema Datshi is a popular Bhutanese dish and is vegetarian through and through, it is made with a lot of chilies, cheese and potatoes, all warmth giving ingredients. The dish is not spicy at all and nor is it cheesy. Ema means chili and Datshi means cheese, if you add potato instead of chili it is called Kewa Datshi. This recipe is inspired by the blog by Druk Girl.
In this recipe I have added potatoes, meat and chili however meat is completely optional.
Serves 7-8
Ingredients
Optional: 500 gms Meat (use chicken, mutton or pork as per your preference), all curry cuts
2 medium sized onions, broadly sliced
4-5 tbsps Processed cheese, heaped (200 gms -250 gms cheese)
1 tomato, sliced
8-9 Dry Red Chilies (use the large ones, but not Kashmiri chilies) This is for the spice and not for the colour
5 Green Chilies (Large ones only, as they are the non-spicy ones and are used for flavour), slit
2 Spring Onions, chopped lengthwise in 3 to 4 parts
5 Garlic cloves, whole or pounded
1 tsp oil
2 cups water
Salt to taste
***Note for Meat: If using mutton or pork, cook it in advance till it is 90% cooked and then add to the ema datshi. If using chicken, add directly to the soup pot in the beginning when adding all ingredients
Method
Take a large soup pot (stock pot) and place on medium flame. Bring the oil to heat and add all the ingredients (except for the meat). Literally add all the ingredient at once. (the chilies- green and red, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cheese, garlic, spring onions and water.
Allow the potatoes to cook and cheese to melt completely. Keep stirring and regulate heat from low to medium.
Finally add the cooked meat and reduce to a thick stew like broth (about 10 to 15 minutes until the meat is completely cooked). Check for taste and bring to a gentle boil, turn off the stove. Serve with Tingmo or Rice.
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