In Bhutan, chilies are a vegetable
A morning market in Thimphu. In the cold Himalayan air, brightly colored chilies are piled high: green, red, yellow. The amount Bhutanese shoppers carry home is hard to believe for anyone used to buying a pinch at a time. They buy them by the kilo, because here chilies are not a seasoning but a vegetable.
Ema datshi is Bhutan's national dish. Although Bhutan belongs to the South Asian food sphere, the dish has a character of its own: chilies are treated as the main vegetable and simmered with cheese. "Ema" means chili and "datshi" means cheese in Dzongkha, Bhutan's national language, so the name literally means chilies in cheese.
Some Bhutanese people say flatly that a meal without chilies is "not a meal." Ema datshi sits at the summit of that chili culture.
In Dzongkha, "ema" is chili and "datshi" is cheese. It is eaten every day across Bhutan and is served with red rice. There are countless variations depending on the type of chili, how it is cut and the cheese used. For Bhutanese people, ema datshi plays the role that miso soup does for the Japanese.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Choosing the cheese
| Cheese | Suitability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feta + mozzarella | Best | Feta's saltiness and mozzarella's stretch come closest to the real thing |
| Cottage cheese + sliced cheese | Good | Budget-friendly. The sliced cheese provides the thickness |
| Cream cheese | Acceptable | High in fat, so reduce the butter |
| Processed cheese (baby-cheese style) | Acceptable | Convenient, but the flavor differs from the original |
Datshi, Bhutan's traditional cheese, is hard to find outside Bhutan. Mixing feta (salty, crumbly) and mozzarella (melting) at 7:3 gives the closest taste. Cream cheese alone is too rich and strays from the plain character of Bhutanese cooking.
This dish contains dairy (cheese and butter). People with a milk allergy should not eat it. Eggs are not used, but some commercial cheese products may contain egg ingredients. Always check the ingredient label.
Method
Cooking ema datshi
Ema datshi is remarkably simple. You put the ingredients in a pot and simmer them. Yet Bhutan's food wisdom is packed into that simplicity.
In Bhutan the staple is red rice rather than white. If you can find it at a specialty grocer or online, cook the red rice and ladle plenty of ema datshi over it. White rice is delicious too, but the plain flavor of red rice with the cheese sauce is the real taste. If you can't get red rice, brown rice gives a similar texture.
The history of the dish: why a small Himalayan country fell for chilies
The history of ema datshi overlaps with the history of Bhutan itself.
Chilies originate in Central and South America. Columbus brought them back to Europe at the end of the 15th century, and in the 16th century the Portuguese carried them to India. From India they crossed the Himalayas to the north and reached Bhutan.
The reason chilies spread so explosively in Bhutan lies in climate and geography. Living at 2,000 to 4,000 m, the Bhutanese are never far from the cold. The capsaicin in chilies warms the body, which made them an ideal ingredient for people in a cold highland climate. Chilies can also be grown on Bhutan's limited farmland and keep well when dried. It was only natural that chilies took root as a "vegetable."
Bhutan followed a closed-door policy for a long time. Foreigners were allowed in from 1974, and television broadcasts and the internet both arrived in 1999. During those years of seclusion, ema datshi developed purely as Bhutanese food, with little influence from foreign cuisines, and the combination of chilies and cheese was perfected.
In 2008 Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy and modernization sped up. Indian and Chinese restaurants opened in cities such as Thimphu and Paro, but the center of the Bhutanese table has not changed: it is ema datshi.
In recent years, ema datshi's profile has risen internationally as Bhutan opened to tourism. Travelers have introduced it on blogs and social media, and English-language food media have described it as one of the world's spiciest national dishes. Detailed recipes remain relatively scarce, though.
Bhutan has adopted Gross National Happiness (GNH) as a guiding principle, placing the well-being of its people ahead of economic growth alone. Preserving and promoting culture is one of the pillars of GNH, and passing on traditional dishes such as ema datshi fits within that outlook.
Cooking tips: five techniques for a perfect ema datshi
1. Cut the chilies lengthwise
Cutting chilies into rings releases the heat all at once and makes the whole sauce fiercely hot. Cutting them in half lengthwise keeps their shape and recreates the Bhutanese way of eating, where the heat blooms in your mouth as you bite. Don't remove the seeds. Bhutanese people say that an ema datshi without seeds is not ema datshi.
2. Work on the cheese blend
Bhutan's datshi is hard to find elsewhere. The closest substitute is 140 g feta plus 60 g mozzarella. Feta's saltiness and crumbly texture resemble datshi, and mozzarella's stretch gives the sauce its body. Feta alone leaves the sauce too thin, and mozzarella alone makes the flavor bland.
3. Too much butter is just right
Bhutanese cooking uses a lot of butter, because high, cold places call for a high-calorie diet. If you skimp on butter in ema datshi, the sauce won't have richness. The 2 tbsp in this recipe is the minimum. For the same kind of South Asian highland cooking, see dal bhat (Nepal's lentil curry set meal) and keep the importance of fat in mind.
4. Don't add too much water
200 ml of water is enough. Too much makes the cheese watery and the thick, creamy character of ema datshi is lost. The chilies release moisture, so start with a small amount of water and add a little at a time if it runs short during simmering. The ideal final consistency is a little looser than cream stew.
5. Don't over-stir
Stirring too much after adding the cheese makes it stick to the bottom of the pot or turn rubbery. Once the cheese is in, switch to low heat and only swirl the pot now and then, waiting for the cheese to melt into the sauce on its own. Unlike nihari (in Japanese), a long-simmered Pakistani stew, ema datshi needs no long cooking; it is done when the cheese melts.
Variations: there are endless "datshi"
Bhutanese tables hold many dishes called "something datshi" besides ema datshi. Datshi (cooking in cheese) is a basic technique in Bhutanese cuisine and is applied to ingredients other than chilies.
Typical Bhutanese datshi dishes
| Name | Main ingredient | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Ema datshi | Chilies | The national dish. The recipe in this article |
| Shamu datshi | Mushrooms | Mushrooms in cheese. A luxurious version in matsutake season |
| Kewa datshi | Potatoes | Potatoes in cheese. Popular with children |
| Gondo datshi | Eggs | Eggs in cheese. A breakfast staple |
What all datshi share is the structure of butter + cheese + a little chili + the main ingredient. Even mushroom and potato datshi contain a little chili. In Bhutanese cooking chili is not a "spice" but a "base seasoning" present in every dish.
Simply replace the chilies in ema datshi with 200 g shimeji mushrooms to make shamu datshi (mushrooms in cheese). Adding 3 shishito peppers brings a Bhutanese-style heat. Common cultivated mushrooms such as shimeji, enoki or king oyster differ from Bhutan's mushrooms but pair wonderfully with cheese. The umami of the mushrooms and the richness of the cheese make a gentle flavor that suits most palates.
Food culture: scenes from the table in the "land of happiness"
Ema datshi is everyday life itself in Bhutan.
Ema datshi morning, noon and night. Bhutanese people eat ema datshi at literally every meal: alongside breakfast, as the main dish at lunch, as a side at dinner. The taste of the day's ema datshi becomes a topic of conversation ("The chilies were fresh today," "Yesterday's was too salty"), much like drinking miso soup every day in Japan.
Ema datshi at festivals. At Bhutan's festivals (tsechu), large quantities of ema datshi are served. Masked dances are held in temple courtyards, and meals of red rice and ema datshi are served between the performances. On festival days people pay attention to the quality of the chilies and use fresh local ones.
Chilies drying in the sun. In autumn in Bhutan, red chilies are laid out densely on farmhouse roofs to dry in the sun. This is a seasonal sight and a staple of tourist photographs. Dried chilies become the ingredients of ema datshi through the winter. Fresh and dried chilies taste different, and Bhutanese cooks use them according to the season.
"Not spicy" can be rude. When serving ema datshi to a guest in Bhutan, toning down the heat can sometimes be considered rude, because assuming "this person can't handle spicy food" may be taken as underestimating them. Bhutanese hospitality means a properly spicy ema datshi. Restaurants for foreign tourists, of course, adjust the heat.
School lunches. Ema datshi appears in Bhutanese school lunches, too. Children grow up eating spicy ema datshi from an early age, getting used to the heat gradually from about age three or four. Travelers say the heat of ema datshi is on a different level from that of other spicy South Asian dishes such as kottu roti (Sri Lanka's stir-fried dish).
Shopping guide: gathering the ingredients for ema datshi
Most of the ingredients for ema datshi can be found at an ordinary supermarket. The only challenge is replacing Bhutan's datshi, but a combination of feta and mozzarella reproduces it well.
Where to find the main ingredients
| Ingredient | Where to buy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green chilies | Supermarket, greengrocer | Choose firm, glossy ones |
| Shishito peppers | Supermarket | Also sold as mild green peppers |
| Feta cheese | Supermarket, specialty grocer, online | Buy in a block |
| Mozzarella | Supermarket | Block or shredded |
Substitution techniques
| Ingredient | Substitute | Difference in result |
|---|---|---|
| Datshi (traditional cheese) | Feta + mozzarella (7:3) | The closest taste and texture |
| Green chilies | Shishito + chili flakes | Bulk is there, but the heat is weaker |
| Red rice | Brown rice | Similar texture. The color differs |
| Traditional butter | Regular butter | Slightly different flavor, but good enough |
Frequently asked questions
Q1. Is it really that spicy?
The ema datshi Bhutanese people eat is several times hotter than a "very hot" curry in Japan. The recipe in this article, however, adjusts the heat for home cooks. Using more shishito peppers makes it milder. The fat in the cheese also softens the heat, so it should be easier to eat than you expect.
Q2. Can children eat it?
If you make it with shishito peppers only and no green chilies, children can eat it. A stew of cheese and mild peppers is a flavor children tend to like. In Bhutan too, kewa datshi (potatoes in cheese), with the heat toned down, is often served to children.
Q3. Can I add vegetables other than chilies?
In Bhutan, variations with different vegetables, such as shamu datshi (mushrooms) and kewa datshi (potatoes), are commonplace. Among everyday vegetables, zucchini, eggplant and broccoli pair well with cheese. But if you call it "ema datshi," chilies are a must.
Q4. Does it taste better the next day?
Ema datshi is a dish that is best freshly made. Cheese firms up over time and can turn rubbery when reheated. It is best to finish it the day you make it. If there are leftovers, reheat them over low heat with a little water.
Q5. I'd like to know more about Bhutanese food
Besides ema datshi, the best known dishes include shamu datshi (mushrooms in cheese), kewa datshi (potatoes in cheese), phaksha paa (pork stir-fried with chilies) and jasha maroo (chicken and chili stew). Among other South Asian countries, dal bhat (Nepal), nihari (Pakistan; in Japanese) and khichdi (India; in Japanese) are national dishes that each form part of a rich food culture.
Q6. Where can I buy red rice?
Look for it at specialty grocers or online. Red rice from other countries, or whole-grain "ancient rice" varieties, also work. Cooking 10 to 20 percent red rice mixed into ordinary white rice gives the Bhutanese look. If you cook red rice alone, use 1.2 times the usual water and soak it for 30 minutes before cooking.
Q7. What drinks go well with ema datshi?
In Bhutan, butter tea (suja) is the classic pairing. It is unfamiliar in many places, but a simple version can be made by melting salted butter into black tea. To tame the heat, lassi (a yogurt drink) is recommended. For alcohol, Bhutan has Druk lager, but since it is hard to find abroad, a light lager makes a fine substitute.
Sources
The following English-language references were mainly consulted.
- Ema datshi - Wikipedia (English) — a comprehensive explanation of the history, variations and cultural background of ema datshi
- Bhutanese Ema Datshi Recipe - Serious Eats — a recipe explained with cooking science
- The National Dish of Bhutan - Atlas Obscura — reportage on Bhutanese food culture
Related articles: spicy dishes of South Asia
National dishes of South Asia: Dal bhat is Nepal's lentil curry set meal, a dish from the same Himalayan cultural sphere as ema datshi. Nihari (in Japanese) is a Pakistani spiced beef stew in which the spices melt in over several hours. Khichdi (in Japanese) is India's lentil-and-rice porridge, a gentle South Asian home dish.
Spicy dishes of the world: Kottu roti is Sri Lanka's griddle stir-fry with a punchy chili kick. Gapao is Thailand's basil stir-fry, which uses chilies differently from ema datshi. Som tam is Thailand's green papaya salad, whose extra-hot version rivals ema datshi in heat.
Dishes of the world made with cheese: Khachapuri is Georgia's cheese bread. Plăcintă (in Japanese) is Romania's cheese pie. In both, cheese is the star, but pairing it with chilies is an idea particular to Bhutan.
Conclusion: the simplest national dish
Ema datshi is simply chilies simmered in cheese. The recipe has four steps and takes 30 minutes. It needs no special technique and no complicated spice blend. Yet this simple idea of cooking chilies in cheese is hard to find in other food cultures.
In the cold Himalayan highlands, warming the body with cheese and chilies has sustained the Bhutanese table for generations. At the center of the table in the "land of happiness" is no luxury ingredient or elaborate technique, just chilies and cheese. The dish you can make in one pot in 30 minutes holds a taste of Bhutan.
