Bhutan Ema Datshi

Welcome to Bhutan! Bhutan is a Buddhist nation found in the Himalayas next to Nepal, Bangledesh, China, and Myanmar. Bhutan is an isolated country that only recently opened up to the world in 1974. For this reason it is truly one of a kind. Bhutan has never been conqured, is the only country with a negative carbon footprint, the last country to get a tv, only country where selling tobacco is banned, and its people are constitutionally obligated to protect the environment. Just to visit you need to pay 200 dollars a night in environmental fees. The country also has its own GNH gross national happiness. This keeps track of how happy the people are and is why they value its citizens health, education and sustainability. Sounds nice right? For Bhutan I decided to make their national dish Ema Datshi. https://www.bongeats.com/recipe/ema-datshi

Ema Datshi literally stands for chillies and cheese. Which I will admit scared me. The Bhutanese start feeding the childern peppers at a young age so that they build their tolerance and they use chillies heavily in their food. Also the idea of a cheese soup with more peppers then cheese worried me.

Here is all that goes into it! Look at all those peppers! I don't know of any yak cheese so I learned that you can use a mixture of cheddar and Feta to create a similar taste. This recipe was so incredibly easy. It took 20 minutes to make and let me tell you it's a winner. It's spicy, cheesey, and delicious. I split the recipe in half as I knew Mack would not want an entire bowl. The only issue are the Jalapeños which can be a pain to de seed.

Here is everything boiling for 15 minutes before adding the cheese and butter. I had to turn off the heat to add the cheese to prevent it from curdling. I served it with some left over sourdough and gobbled it up.

Overall I give this dish a 9 out of 10. It was really so easy and so tasty. I took out the seeds which next time I think I will leave some in it was actually not overwhelmingly hot. I am guessing not as they would traditionally make it. Still a fantastic quick little dish. I am going to have to place it in third as it truly deserves it.

Check in next week for Bolivia.

Current Rankings:

3rd place Bhutan Ema Datshi

2nd place Argentina's Asado

1st place Belgium's Steak Frites