Indian Chili Powder

What is the difference between chili powder from a grocery store and Indian chili powder from and Indian grocery store? The heat! This question comes up all the time when making Indian food. I've also had friends that make an Indian recipe and call me to ask what went wrong. Most of the time the problem is they used the wrong kind of chili powder. Can you guess what the difference is between the two?Regular chili powder is a mixture of different ingredients. I had no idea! It contains ground chilies, salt, and garlic. Some brands may add additional things as well. Indian chili powder only contains red chilies. Indian chili powder also has different levels depending on the types of red chilies they use. I usually get the regular Indian chili powder for my Indian food. Joel's mom also sends me spices when she goes to India. It's definitely spicier than what you buy here. I made the mistake of trying to spice up my recipe and add a little more. Bad idea. I forgot to take into account the fact I was using authentic chili powder and should have tasted it first. Instead I ended up with a dish that made all of us cry, even my Indian husband was sweating!!!We all have those moments in the kitchen. We use the wrong ingredient, too much of something, or forget something entirely. Share one of your cooking fails with us!