Full question
Thie Vietnamese Chicken salad sounds delicious but is there an alternative to the Thai chilli. I can't get them in our market and wondered would a jalapeño be a good substitute?
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Nigella's Vietnamese Chicken And Mint Salad from NIGELLA BITES) is a main course salad that is hot, sweet and sour. The cabbage and carrot have a satisfying crunch and hold up well in the dressing, meaning the salad can be made several hours in advance.
The Thai chilli used is also known as a bird's eye chilli, so you may find it under that name instead. It is small but very hot and you could use either the green or red version in the salad. Fresh cayenne peppers would be the closest alternative, but these can also be hard to find. Jalepeno and serrano chillies are milder and jalepenos can vary quite a bit in strength. However, if they are your only alternatives then you can use either and you may want to increase the quatity slightly if you want the same level of heat. For serrano chillies we would suggest using 1 1/2 chilli peppers and for jalepenos use 2 chilli peppers. If you prefer something less spicy then just use one jalapeno pepper.
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