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Chilli from Kelantan: cili merah, cili padi, cili hijau and lada solok compared

Malaysian kitchens and factories do not buy “chilli”. They buy cili merah for colour, cili padi for heat, cili hijau for freshness and lada solok for stuffing. Here is how the five types grown for Nusatani differ, and what to specify for each.

Published 13 October 20266 min readNusatani, Kelantan

Cili merah: colour and body

The large red chilli (Capsicum annuum) is the base of Malaysian sambal, cili boh and chilli sauce. It is bought for its colour and body as much as for its heat, so it is picked at full colour, with thick walls and the stem on.

Ours is the Cili Kulai variety, 5 to 6 inches long, packed in 5 kg bags, with around seven to eight tonnes a week available and eight hours from harvest to dispatch. It is the only chilli in our programme available certified under MyGAP by the Department of Agriculture; uncertified lots are available too.

Cili padi and cili burung: heat

Cili padi, known in English as bird’s eye chilli (Capsicum frutescens), is small, very hot and picked by hand. It is sold red, green or mixed, for sambal, dipping sauces, pickles and as a garnish. Cili burung, the upright bird chilli, is slender and very hot as well, and is mostly bought by sambal and paste producers.

Names vary between regions, and in some places cili burung is simply another name for cili padi. When you order, specify by size and photograph, not by name alone.

Cili hijau: freshness

The long green chilli is picked before the colour breaks to red. It has a fresh, grassy heat that the red chilli no longer has, and thicker walls than most small chillies, which is why it is sliced into gulai and stir-fries and is the chilli for cili jeruk.

For pickling lines it is graded by length, so the fruit fills the jar evenly.

Lada solok: for stuffing

Lada solok is a large, mild pepper with thick walls. On the east coast, in Kelantan and Terengganu, it is slit, filled with a paste of fish and grated coconut and steamed or cooked in coconut milk as solok lada.

For that it has to be straight, even in size and sound at the stem, so it can be filled without splitting. It is grown to order.

Type
Heat
Typical use
Buy it for
Cili merah
Medium
Sambal, cili boh, sauces, cooking
Colour and body
Cili padi
Very hot
Sambal, dips, pickles, garnish
Heat by the piece
Cili burung
Very hot
Sambal and paste production
Heat per kilo
Cili hijau
Medium
Gulai, stir-fries, cili jeruk
Fresh, green heat
Lada solok
Mild
Solok lada and stuffed dishes
Shape and thick walls

How to specify chilli in a contract

Write down, for each type: the variety where it matters; the length band; the colour stage (green, turning or fully red); stem on or off; the defect tolerance per bag or carton; the packing, such as 5 kg bags or cartons; the time from harvest to dispatch; and whether you need MyGAP certification.

On Nusatani Premium, chilli is Grade A for kitchens and retail; on Nusatani Daily it is Grade B and C in contract volume for sauce, sambal and paste production. The same harvest, graded for two different uses.

Questions buyers ask

Is cili padi the same as bird’s eye chilli?+

Yes. Cili padi is the Malay name for the small, very hot chilli sold in English as bird’s eye chilli.

Do you supply chilli green and red?+

Cili padi is supplied red, green or mixed as agreed. Cili merah is picked at full red, cili hijau before the colour breaks.

Can I buy MyGAP-certified cili padi?+

Not today. Of the chilli types we grow, only Cili Merah is available MyGAP-certified. Cili Padi, Cili Burung, Cili Hijau and Lada Solok are not.

Related produce

Large Red Chilli Nusatani Premium · Grade A → Nusatani Daily · Grade B · C →
Bird's Eye Chilli Nusatani Premium · Grade A → Nusatani Daily · Grade B · C →
Bird Chilli Nusatani Premium · Grade A → Nusatani Daily · Grade B · C →
Green Chilli Nusatani Premium · Grade A → Nusatani Daily · Grade B · C →
Solok Pepper Nusatani Premium · Grade A → Nusatani Daily · Grade B · C →

More from the farm

Supply planning

Vegetable supply in the monsoon: how to plan for November to February

The north-east monsoon reaches Kelantan from November to February. What it does to fresh vegetable supply, and how buyers and growers plan contracts around it.

 Certification

MyGAP certification: what it covers and how buyers can verify it

What MyGAP certification is, who issues it, what a farm audit covers and how a buyer checks a certificate. With the lines Nusatani has certified today.

 Grading

Grade A, B and C vegetables: what the grades mean for buyers

What separates Grade A, B and C fresh vegetables, who each grade is for, and how to write a grade into a supply contract. A buyer’s guide from Kelantan.

Two lines, one supplier

Grade A for hotel and restaurant kitchens on Nusatani Premium. Contract volumes of Grade B and C on Nusatani Daily. Or simply ask on WhatsApp.

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