What to use instead of dried red chilies
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Whole pods fried in oil to flavour the fat
The pod gives up its heat and aroma to hot oil in a few seconds, and that oil then carries the burn through everything else in the pan. The skin toasts at the same time and goes nutty.
Chile de arbol or any small whole dried chileRan out
1:1 by pod
Straight trade. Arbol is a little hotter and thinner-skinned, so it darkens faster in the oil.
Crushed red pepper flakesRan out
1/2 tsp flakes per whole dried chile
The small pieces scorch in seconds and the oil goes acrid. Cut the heat under the pan first, then add them. Heat spreads evenly instead of sitting in pockets.
GochugaruRan out
1 tbsp per 3 whole dried chilies
Much milder and fruitier. It stains the oil deep red without much burn, so the dish looks hotter than it is.
Fresh red chile, split lengthwaysRan out
1 fresh red chile per 2 dried
Grassy and bright with none of the toasted note. It goes soft in the oil rather than crisp and it spits, so keep a lid handy.
What doesn't work: Cayenne powder dropped into the hot oil. Ground chile hits its scorch point in about five seconds and the whole tempering tastes burnt. If powder is all you have, pull the pan off the heat and stir it in once the oil has stopped shimmering.
Soaked and blended into a curry paste or sauce base
Rehydrated pods blend to a smooth paste that gives the sauce its body and most of its colour. The flesh is the bulk, the seeds and ribs are the heat.
Kashmiri chilies, wholeRan out
8 Kashmiri per 4 hot dried chilies
Deep red paste with a fraction of the heat, so a rendang looks right and eats mild. More pods means more body, so the sauce thickens sooner.
Guajillo or ancho chiliesRan out
1:1 by weight, soaked 20 min in hot water
Fruitier and darker, with a tea-like tannin. The paste is thicker because these pods have more flesh on them.
Cayenne plus sweet paprikaRan out
1 tsp cayenne + 2 tbsp sweet paprika per 6 dried chilies
Heat and colour arrive without the body. The base is thinner, so reduce it five minutes longer or add a spoon of ground nuts.
Sambal oelekRan out
2 tbsp per 6 dried chilies, and cut the salt in the recipe
Brings vinegar sharpness that a slow-cooked rendang fights. Fine in a fast stir-fry sauce where the acid gets a job to do.
What doesn't work: Sriracha. It is mostly sugar, vinegar and garlic, so it sweetens and sours the base long before it makes it hot, and the paste never gets past a thin orange.
Toast whole pods in a dry pan for 30 seconds before soaking. It costs nothing and it is most of the difference between a flat paste and a deep one.