Scoville Heat Units: 20,000-30,000 SHU
Jwala Finger peppers are a small, finger-shaped chili pepper commonly used in Indian cuisine. They are considered to be a hot pepper, with a Scoville rating of around 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units (SHU). This makes them hotter than a jalapeno pepper but less hot than a cayenne pepper.
The Jwala is the most popular chile in India, adding great flavor and spice to many Indian dishes. The word “Jwala” means “Volcano” in Hindi, and they are commonly found in the Gujarat region of India. The peppers start out light green and ripen to red, and can be used fresh or dried.
Jwala Finger peppers are small and thin, typically measuring around 2-3 inches in length and 1/4 inch in width. They have a glossy exterior that is typically dark red when fully ripe, and resemble a slightly curved finger. They have a distinct, pungent aroma and a complex flavor that is described as being both spicy and slightly sweet.
The plants are very productive, and can be grown easily in pots or in a garden.
These peppers are commonly used in Indian dishes such as curries, chutneys, and pickles. They can also be used to add heat and flavor to sandwiches, tacos, and other dishes. They are also used as a spice to flavor oil and as a dry powder to add heat to dishes.
Learn About These Other Medium-Hot Chili Peppers
- Shipkas Chili Peppers
- Hidalgo Chili Peppers
- Bolivian Rainbow Chili Peppers
- Super Chili Chili Peppers
- Dundicut Chili Peppers
- New Mex XX Hot Chili Peppers
- Diablo Grande Chili Peppers
- Charleston Hot Chili Peppers
- Red Amazon Chili Peppers
- Yatsafusa Chili Peppers
- Moshi Chili Pepper
- Peter Peppers: The Oddly Shaped Chili Pepper
- Fish Peppers
- Bishop's Crown Peppers: All About Them
- Guntur Sannam Chili Peppers
- Santaka Chili Peppers
- Malagueta Chili Peppers
- Manzano Peppers: All About Them
- Aji Cristal Peppers - Info, Seeds and More
- Rocoto Peppers: All About Them
- There are even more here!
Renuka Menon says
Hi there
Jwala means flame
Jwala Mukhi means volcano.
Thought you would like to know.
Cheers
Renuka
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thank you, Renuka!
Jannki Mithaiwala says
I finally got the seeds. I had actually brought the chili back from India but the seeds didn’t sprout. I maybe waited too long to try sprout them. I love how my food tastes when I use them in India but here in USA I have used Thai chili’s but they don’t just taste the same. Anyways I got the seeds and just planted them. Super excited. 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Good luck!!!
Darlene says
I'm trying to find red finger peppers to make pimento Salgado to use in several Portuguese dishes. Are these the same as Jwala!
REPLY: Darlene, if you can find Jwala peppers, those will work great, though I've seen many people call different types of peppers "finger peppers". -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness