Bhutan - Ema Datshi

Spicy cheesy soup!

Aneri's note: Bhutan is one of my top countries to visit! In the Himalayas, Bhutan is famously isolationist and does not permit many visas for visitors. In order to visit the country you must go through a local tour agency.

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Ema Datshi

Difficulty level (1-10): 4

Ema Datshi is the national dish of Bhutan, and very delicious! Unfortunately I could not make this authentic, as the core ingredient is Yak cheese, which cannot be found outside of the Himalayan range. The internet said the best substitute is Danish Feta, which is what I used. The second change is the other core ingredient- chilies. However, the spicy peppers found in this part of the world is also hard to come by, so I’m just using local less spicy ones. The cheese definitely tones the heat down so don't be alarmed by the number!

Ingredients:

Chilies - approx 10, your favorites, seeded and sliced

Bell pepper - 1, thinly sliced

Tomato - 2 small or 1 large, chopped

Danish Feta - 8 oz

Onion - 1, white sliced

Garlic - 4 cloves, minced

Salt - to taste

Butter - 1 TB

Water - 1 cup

1. Melt butter, add bell pepper, onion, and garlic and stir fry until onion is translucent

2. Add tomatoes and cook until they boil down a bit

3. Add chilies

4. Add water with salt, stir.

5. Let cover for 10 min

6. Add cheese and turn off the heat. Let the cheese melt.

7. Serve!

This recipe was influenced by Better Butter and Food.com.

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Want more Bhutanese recipes? Here's a few more!

Kewa Datshi, potato, cheese and chili from Shruti

Khuli, buckwheat pancakes by Chef John Bakker