Cili Boh substitute

Substitutes for Cili Boh with ratios

1. 2Guajillo or New Mexico Chilli Paste

   Close match

   Use the same amount

   Mexican dried chillies soaked and blended exactly the same way, sold in every large supermarket.

   What changes

   Best for

   sambal tumis, mee goreng, curries, marinades

   The best route outside Asia, because these chillies are in the same mild, sweet, deep-red category and blend to the same consistency. The difference is a slightly raisiny, dried-fruit sweetness where Malaysian dried chillies are a touch more bitter and earthy, so a sambal comes out marginally sweeter and rounder. If it tastes too fruity, a squeeze of tamarind during the fry corrects it.

2. 3Kashmiri Chilli Powder + Water

   Different texture

   Use 3 tbsp powder + ¼ cup hot water + 1 tsp oil for every ¼ cup cili boh, rested 10 minutes

   The Indian-grocery shortcut, which nails the colour and the mildness.

   What changes

   Best for

   curries, sambal tumis, rice dishes, when you have no dried whole chillies

   Kashmiri chilli is bred for brilliant red colour and low heat, which is exactly what cili boh contributes, so this is a better match than it sounds. The paste is thinner and slightly dusty compared with blended whole chillies, and it will not break oil quite as convincingly, so fry it a few minutes longer and add the teaspoon of oil while mixing to help it come together.

3. 4Gochugaru (Korean Chilli Flakes) + Water

   Different texture

   3 tbsp flakes hydrated in ¼ cup water replaces ¼ cup cili boh

   Coarse Korean sun-dried chilli flakes, which are unusually close in heat level and colour.

   What changes

   Best for

   sambal tumis, stir-fried noodles, fried rice, curries

   Genuinely one of the better swaps, because gochugaru is mild, fruity and vividly red rather than fiery, which is the whole character of cili boh. Let the flakes sit in warm water for fifteen minutes and then blend if you want it smooth. Expect a faint smoky sweetness and a slightly coarser texture, so the finished sambal looks a little more speckled and tastes a shade sweeter.

4. 5Sambal Oelek

   Different taste

   ¼ to ⅓ the volume, with the balance made up in tomato paste or blitzed roasted red pepper

   The swap people reach for first, and the one most likely to wreck the dish if used cup for cup.

   What changes

   Best for

   emergencies, when you only need a small amount of cili boh

   This is the important note on the page. Sambal oelek is made from fresh chillies with salt and vinegar, so it is far hotter, sharper and more sour, and a sambal tumis made with a cup of it in place of a cup of cili boh is close to inedible. Use a quarter of the amount for heat and make up the missing volume with tomato paste or roasted red pepper for the body and colour, then skip the recipe's salt and vinegar.

5. 6Ancho and Arbol Blend

   Different taste

   3 anchos to 1 arbol, soaked and blended, used 1:1

   A build-your-own blend when the mild dried chillies alone taste flat to you.

   What changes

   Best for

   curries, meat sambals, braises

   Anchos give body, sweetness and dark red colour while a single arbol adds the small kick that cili boh has at the back. The result is noticeably darker and more raisiny than Malaysian cili boh, so the sambal reads brick-brown rather than bright red, and the flavour leans faintly smoky. Good in a beef rendang or a heavy curry, less right in a bright mee goreng.