Substituting Jalapenos for Green Chilies?

[Turkeyman]

Went to my local indo pak grocery store and much to my dismay, there were no green chilies left. I do have a great jalapeno plant out on the patio, though. I'm not familiar with the exact heat levels of the two peppers -- are they similar? If so, what's the ratio of jalapenos to green chilies that I could substitute? Thank you in advance =]

 

[Andy M.]

Expect the jalapeno to be milder than the green chilies.

 

[Jari]

seed and de-vein jalapenos and the heat level will be equal to canned green chiles=1 or 1 1/2

 

[Chef Munky]

This chart is interesting..
The Scoville Heat Scale for Chilli Peppers and Hot Sauces from ChilliWorld. Compare relative heats all the way to Blair's 6 A.M. - pure capsaicin.

Munky.

 

[Turkeyman]

I ended up using about 1.5 times the jalapenos (seeds and all) as I would green chilies and it turned out great. Jalapenos have their own unique taste as well, so that worked nicely in the chicken curry.

Nice chart, I like how they have both sauces and peppers on there to compare.

Thanks for the help.

 

[GB]

Your best bet is to taste the peppers you have and see what the heat level is like. I have had mixed results with jalapenos I have grown. Sometimes they have moderate heat. Other times they set my mouth on fire for what feels like hours. And other times still they are as sweet as bell peppers. The only way you will know what you are currently dealing with is to taste them, then you can go from there.

 

[Margaux]

Actually it depends on what you mean by green chile. To me, green chile refers to a New Mexico green chile or poblano type (basically what you get in a can of "chopped green chile"). They are usually pretty mild. A serrano could also be considered a green chile, as could a jalapeno or even a green Thai chile. Recipes should be more specific!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

For me, if a recipe says green chiles, I assume a mild chili...anaheims, poblanos. Of course I mix and match my chilies to get the heat level I want and if something is too mild, I have a stash of cayenne to liven things up.

 

[Andy M.]

Green chile means different things in different cuisines. In Indian/Pakistani cuisine, green chilies are about 1.5 - 2 inches long and as thick as a pencil.

For Southeastern American and Mexican dishes, New Mexico and Poblano chiles are green chiles.

These differences can be significant because you are not only trying to match the heat level but also the flavor of the chile pepper.

 

[Claire]

I agree that if the recipe calls for "green chillies" I use the canned variety (assuming it is a recipe of southwestern cuisine meant for US palates). I absolutely agree with GB that fresh chilies are darned near impossible to predict in intensity. Sometimes the heat difference on a single bush can vary from pepper to pepper. What was amount of rain that week? What was the sunshine like? I'm with all who said that they'd use Annaheim or Poblano chillies ... but even then I've actually told someone it would be mild, then it took the top of my head off.

Again, as has already been said, taste your chillie yourself before cooking with it and serving to a guest.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I bought two poblanos to make stuffed peppers. Mine was mild and quite tasty, DH had a hard time eating his, it was very hot. I took a taste of his and it about took my head off. I got them at the Farmer's Market, so you would think they would be similar.

 

[Linux]

There are a surprising number of green chillies. Certain varieties, are picked when they go green before heading onto red, sometimes purple, but almost always very hot. Look out for an Asian grocer's shop that has glorious Bangladeshi chillies: green, about 2-3 inches and slightly curved. When making Indian food or Thai, I'll throw in about 4 or 5, but without the faff of removing the seeds. I like mine hot.

Scotch Bonnets are something else. Be very careful with those lil’ piggies, they’re evil.