Lisa Napoli, formerly of Public Radio's Marketplace, has been traveling to the Kingdom of Bhutan for last two years. She has been working to start a radio station in the tiny landlocked country.
Bhutan is a Buddhist country located in the Eastern Himalayas. It borders Tibet and India. Blessed Rainy Day is a holiday that marks the end of the monsoon season in Bhutan and the beginning of the harvest.
Bhutanese cuisine is marked by an extensive use of chili peppers. Ema Datshi is the national dish and is eaten for all meals.
Ema Datshi
Big hot chilli peppers, fresh or dry (quantities depend on the number of people eating and the courage for chilli)
Philadelphia processed cheese, Kraft cheddar cheese, cream cheese or other shredded cheddar cheese.
3 Tablespoons butter
Salt to taste, salt also helps the heat (Bhutanese are high on salt, the taste just does not come through if too little is added)
Water
1. Wash and split chilli lengthwise into 2 or 4 depending on size
2. Add the butter, salt, water to cover half the ingredients only, and cook for a few mintutes and bring to boil till chilli is tender
3. Add the cheese (more cheese here to make a thick gooey sauce) and let it melt
4. Mix the chilli and cheese well so that the chilli and the cheese are stuck well in a thick cheese sauce.
5. Take off heat and serve.
You can modify this recipe by adding onions and tomatoes to reduce the heat.
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