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Pickled Chilies - Popular condiment that accompanies many Southeast Asian street food and Asian noodle dishes.
This is the first time I made pickled green chilies at home and was pleasantly surprised that it took only a jiffy and the chilies were ready practically overnight.
Pickled green chili is a popular condiment that accompanies many Southeast Asian street food and Asian noodle dishes.
The tartness from the rice vinegar and the pickled green chilies are best served with Penang Char Hor Fun, Rad Na, Fried Rice Vermicelli, dry wonton noodles, etc.
In many Cantonese noodle joints and Thai restaurants here in the US, you will always find a small container of picked green chilies on the table, together with other sauces such as soy sauce, chili sauce, and pepper…
While you can buy pickled green chilies from Asian stores (there is a close cousin which is Made in Mexico), home-made pickled chilies just taste so much better and “fresher” knowing that they are not packaged months ago and have been sitting on the shelves forever!
Here is my simple pickled green chilies recipe. It’s really painless to make and they keep for a while in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jalapeños aren’t quite the same as the ones from KL food stalls, but you’ve got options! Try serrano peppers or Thai chilies—they’re closer in heat and flavor. JalapJalapeños aren’t quite the same, but you’ve got options! Try serrano peppers or Thai chilies—they’re closer in heat and flavor. Jalapeños will work if that’s all you have, but they’re milder and taste a little different.
They’re a lot spicier than regular green chilies, so the heat can be pretty intense. But if you’re all about that extra kick, go for it! Just know they’ll pack way more heat.
If you’re sensitive to chili heat, wearing gloves helps prevent burning your hands. But I get it—removing the seeds with gloves on can be a bit tricky. If you go without, just make sure to wash your hands really well after handling the chilies… and whatever you do, don’t touch your face or eyes!
You won’t be able to get rid of all the seeds, but you can reduce them. After slicing, just give the chilies a good shake or tap them on the cutting board to loosen the seeds. You can also run your fingers through the slices or use a small spoon to scoop out any extras before pickling.
Yes. If you love the heat, keep the seeds in. The more seeds, the spicier the pickled chilies—so if you’re all about that extra kick, go for it.
Leave them in! The vinegar keeps the chilies fresh and flavorful. Just store them in a sealed jar in the fridge, and they’ll be good for weeks.
They’ll keep in the fridge for about 1 to 2 weeks. Just make sure they’re fully submerged in the vinegar solution and stored in a clean, airtight jar. The flavor gets even better after a day or two!
This recipe is 84 calories per cup.
What To Serve With Pickled Chilies
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Pickled Chilies
Ingredients
- 4 oz (125g) green chilies, discard the seeds and sliced into pieces
- 1 cup Chinese rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup water, boiled
Instructions
- Prepare the green chilies and transfer them to a small bowl. Bring water to a boil, then pour it over the chilies in the bowl. Let the chilies sit in the boiled water for about 10 seconds. Drain and discard the hot water.
- In the same bowl, add the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir to mix well. Transfer everything into a small glass container or jar and refrigerate overnight. The pickled green chilies will be ready by the next day.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi thanks for the recipe. Can I apply this recipe and procedure for bird eye chillies? Thanks again
Yes, you can!
Hi thanks for the recipe. Can I apply this recipe and procedure for bird eye chillies? Thanks again
I did it…using our own garden grown green chillies….tried them for dinner…still a little ‘green’ after 6 hours…will try again in the next few days but its easy enough….thanks.
Let me know how it goes.
How long will these stay good in the refrigerator?
I did it…using our own garden grown green chillies….tried them for dinner…still a little ‘green’ after 6 hours…will try again in the next few days but its easy enough….thanks.
Can I suggest that you also include metric measurements after the US equivalent…example…4oz(113 g)…1 cup(237 cc)…etc. this will help us Aussie appreciate the measure. You are doing great as I do refer to many of your recipes..thanks. Melvin
Hi Melvin, you can use an online converter easily.
also… for storage … do we need to drain them or just leave in the vinegar solution
With vinegar.
Can I suggest that you also include metric measurements after the US equivalent…example…4oz(113 g)…1 cup(237 cc)…etc. this will help us Aussie appreciate the measure. You are doing great as I do refer to many of your recipes..thanks. Melvin
I have a tree with red chillies, like o know how I can pickle them?
Thanx
Hi my name is Nadia I read your recepies I love them and I tried the pickled chillies with normal spirit white or brown vinegar.used asian chillies.let it soak for a week its yummy.love it with vegtable curries dal and rice.thank you so much for ur wonderful recepies
Hi my pickled chillies go soft not crunchy. Is that because I didn’t blanch them in hot water before pouring the vinegar.
Just made .y first batch and used regular vinegar. See how it turns out with jalapeño