Ema Datshi (Bhutanese Chili and Cheese Stew)

Ingredients

• 450g (1 lb) long green chilies, halved lengthwise, seeds left in
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large ripe tomato, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 200g soft datshi cheese (or substitute crumbled farmer's cheese, queso fresco, or mild feta)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 cup water
• salt, to taste
• cooked red rice, to serve

Before you cook

• Wash the green chilies and slice each one in half lengthwise, leaving the seeds in
• Thinly slice the onion
• Roughly chop the tomato
• Peel and thinly slice the garlic
• Crumble the cheese into small pieces if it is not already soft enough to break apart by hand

Steps

1. Put the halved chilies, sliced onion, chopped tomato, and garlic into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot
2. Add the water and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the pot
3. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer
4. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, until the chilies have softened but still hold their shape
5. Remove the lid and season the pot with salt
6. Scatter the crumbled cheese evenly over the simmering vegetables
7. Reduce the heat to medium-low
8. Gently stir the cheese through the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes, just until it softens into a light sauce that clings to the chilies
9. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter
10. Take the pot off the heat as soon as the cheese turns creamy, before it fully liquefies
11. Taste and adjust the salt
12. Serve immediately over red rice