Kewa Datshi

(Potato cheese for those not too trained to take the full heat)

Ingredients:

Potato (red ones are nice - but any will do)

Hot chilli peppers, (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.

Butter ( 1 Tbs.)

Salt to taste (Bhutanese are high on salt, the taste just does not come through if too little is added)

Some water

Method:

1. Wash potatoes and chilli

2. Peel and slice potato into 0.5 cm thickness and about 5cm sort of like potato cheese bake or as you like

3. Slice chilli lengthwise into two or four depending on the size of chilli

4. Add potatoes, chilli, 1 tbs of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt and water to immerse the contents in a non-stick saucepan and cook on high heat till potatoes are tender and cooked through (not too gooey)

5. Add the shredded cheese and lower heat and cook for one to two minutes to melt the cheese, then mix the contents to spread the cheese around and form a white creamy sauce

6. Take off heat and serve

N.B. This recipe can be varied with the use of any vegetable such as green beans, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, mushroom, bunching onion etc. and give the name of the "vegetable" datshi = Mushroom datshi etc.

Pure Ema datshi

(Paro style, with no onions and tomatoes)

Ingredients:

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.

Butter (3 Tbs.)

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)

Some water

Method:

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

N.B. You can modify this recipe by adding onions and tomatoes to reduce the heat.

Additional Comments: If you do not have the courage for so much chilli, you can have it without the seeds of the chilli. This way the heat is knocked back slightly until you get used to eating chillies as a vegetable.

Yum!!!

Ema Datshi (Alternative variation)

Ingredients:

Hot green chilli peppers

Onions

Philadelphia processed cheese, Kraft cheddar cheese, cream cheese or other shredded cheddar cheese (from Coles).

Salt to taste

Some water

Method:

1. Cut green chilli longitudinally into small pieces approximately of 3cm in length.

2. Cut onion (half) into small pieces of smaller size than chilli.

3. Put the above into a pot and pour water so that more than 50% of the chilli and onion are submerged in water.

4. Keep boiling for 3 minutes with lid of the pot closed.

5. Remove the lid and add cheese (I used Coles, 2 slices for 3 servings) and keep boiling for another 2 minutes.

6. Add salt and stir well for 1 minute.

And Enjoy with rice.....

Comments from other ABFA members: Add in some blue cheese.....it's expensive but it adds to the taste.

Buy cheese slices from the supermarket e.g. Coles - it is cheap and good for emadatsi.

Kraft cheese slices (in plastic wrap) work well too.

The cheese used in Bhutan has no close relative in Australia. But I have made it using Danish Fetta which is suggested in the recipe I have.

If you would like to make your emadatsi taste like the typical one in Bhutan with Amul cheese and local cheese mixed, then mix Kraft cheese with Aussie Fetta cheese. First put the Kraft cheese and then after it has melted put the Fetta. Simmer on low flame for some time and then mix well. But watch out for salt, for Aussie Fetta is salty in itself.