Kashmiri chilli, bird's eye and green chillies: which one to use and how to find them in Poland

Indian and other Asian kitchens use chillies fresh, dried whole, ground and in oil. The three you will meet most are fresh green chillies, dried red Kashmiri chillies that give colour with moderate heat, and small, very hot bird's eye chillies. In a Polish shop, chillies are "papryczki chili"; green ones are "zielone papryczki chili" or "zielone chili", and a jar of chilli oil is often labelled "płatki chili w oleju".

Green chillies (hari mirch)

Green chillies are unripe chillies, picked before they change colour. In an Indian shop they are usually slim and about the length of a finger. They taste fresh and grassy and have a clear heat. Polish supermarkets sometimes sell larger, milder green peppers under similar names, so check the size and shape.

In Indian cooking a green chilli is almost as basic as onion and garlic. Cut it into rings, or slit it lengthwise, and drop it into hot oil with cumin, ginger and onion. It goes into dal, sabzi, raita, coriander chutney and an Indian-style omelette. A slit but whole chilli gives less heat than a chopped one, which is a simple way to keep a dish milder.

Keep fresh green chillies in the fridge, in a paper bag or a box lined with kitchen paper. If you buy a large pack, pull off the stalks and freeze some. After thawing they are fine for cooking, though no longer crisp.

Kashmiri chilli: colour without much heat

Kashmiri mirch are dried red chillies with wrinkled skin and a deep, brick-red colour. They are milder than most Indian chillies. Cooks use them when a dish should be red but not fiery: rogan josh, tandoori marinade, butter chicken and red curries.

You can buy Kashmiri chilli whole or as Kashmiri chilli powder. Soak whole chillies in hot water and blend them to a paste, or add them to the oil at the start of frying. Add the powder near the end of frying the spices and do not leave it long over high heat, because it burns easily and turns bitter.

If a recipe asks for Kashmiri chilli and you only have ordinary chilli powder, use less of it and add sweet paprika ("papryka słodka", easy to find in any Polish supermarket) for colour.

Bird's eye and other small chillies

Bird's eye chillies are small, narrow chillies, red or green, best known from Thai and other Southeast Asian cooking. Shops often label them Thai chilli. They are clearly hotter than an ordinary green chilli, so start with one per pot.

Use them in Thai curries, salads, dipping sauces and soups. Finely chopped in fish sauce with lime juice, they make a simple Thai condiment for rice.

After cutting hot chillies, wash your hands with soap and do not touch your eyes. For a large batch, wear thin gloves.

Chilli oil and crispy chilli oil

Chilli oil is oil with chilli flakes in it. Crispy chilli oil also has crunchy pieces: fried onion, garlic, sometimes soybeans or peanuts. It comes from Chinese cooking, and the best-known brand in this style is Lao Gan Ma.

Crispy chilli oil is not for frying; it is a condiment for the plate. A teaspoon is enough on a fried egg, noodles, dumplings, rice or avocado toast. Keep the jar closed after opening and always use a dry spoon.

Which chilli for which dish

• Dal, sabzi, raita, chutney: fresh green chillies.
• Red curries, tandoori, rogan josh: Kashmiri chilli, whole or ground.
• Thai curries, salads, dipping sauces: bird's eye (Thai chilli).
• A finished dish that needs heat and crunch: crispy chilli oil.
• Heat without pieces: ordinary chilli powder, added a little at a time.

Where to buy chillies in Poland

Fresh green chillies are in the Little India online shop and in the shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk. Dried whole Kashmiri chillies and Kashmiri chilli powder are with the spices. There is also Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil and small fresh red Thai chillies. The shop ships orders across Poland.

For ready-made hot sauces, read our comparison of sriracha, Tabasco and other hot sauces. The other spices to start with are in our Indian spices starter kit.