Ema Datshi

Ingredients

• 1⅛ lbGreen chiliesmild, thick-fleshed variety; halved or quartered lengthways, deseed to taste
• 10½ ozCheesegrated or crumbled; farmer's cheese, feta or young cow's-milk cheese, traditionally yak cheese
• 2Onionsliced or diced
• 3Tomatoroughly chopped
• 4 clovesGarlicchopped or sliced
• ½ ozGingerthinly sliced; ground ginger as alternative
• 2 tbspButterfor sautéing or stirred in at the end
• 1 cupWaterfor cooking; vegetable stock as alternative
• 1 tbspVegetable oilin addition to or instead of butter (optional)
• Saltadd gradually, the cheese is already salty
• ¼ cupMilkonly if the sauce gets too thick (optional)
• 2Spring onionsliced, to finish (optional)

Method

1. Wash the green chillies, pull off the stems and halve or quarter them lengthways. This is where you decide how hot the dish will be: strip out all the seeds and white ribs for a mild bowl, leave some in if you want more fire.
2. Slice the onions into strips, chop the garlic and ginger small, and roughly chop the tomatoes.
3. Heat the butter — or butter and vegetable oil — in a wide pot and sweat the onions and garlic over medium heat until translucent, without letting them colour.
4. Add the chillies, the chopped tomatoes and the ginger and let them cook briefly with the onions.
5. Pour in the water (or vegetable stock), salt sparingly and simmer covered over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chillies are soft and have turned a dull green.
6. Take off the lid and let the liquid reduce uncovered until the sauce thickens slightly.
7. Turn the heat right down or pull the pot off the stove altogether. Scatter the grated or crumbled cheese over the top, add a little more butter if you like, and let it melt into a smooth sauce, stirring now and then.
8. Season with salt — the cheese already brings plenty — and if the sauce turns out too thick, loosen it with a splash of milk.
9. Serve straight away while piping hot, scattered with sliced spring onions if you like, with red rice on the side.

Tips and variations

To keep the cheese from splitting, stir it in only after you've turned off the heat. If you want it simpler, put everything in the pot raw with the water and the fat and let it all simmer together instead of sweating the onions and garlic first. Grated hard cheese such as cheddar or gouda works in place of farmer's cheese, feta or young cow's-milk cheese; with thickly sliced boiled potatoes it becomes Kewa Datshi, and left entirely without tomatoes — just onion, garlic, chilli and farmer's cheese — it tastes noticeably cleaner. Vegetable stock instead of water is welcome for the simmering. Get the bowl on the table while the cheese is still liquid, with red rice beside it.