Long Chilli

The long, pale green chilli: mild enough to eat in quantity, and grown for flavour rather than heat. If the small Indian chillies are too much for your household, this is the one to cook with.

Slit lengthways and stuffed for bharwa mirch, blistered whole in a hot pan and salted, chopped into a salsa, or sliced into a stir-fry where it behaves more like a vegetable than a spice.

Choose firm, glossy chillies with no wrinkling and a fresh green stem. They should snap rather than bend.

Fridge, in paper or loosely covered. Keep them dry.

One to two weeks refrigerated.