navy ironing board cover_gridded ironing board cover

Sometimes you may find yourself missing a key spice in the middle of cooking. Don’t worry—there are several clever substitutions for common red pepper spices that can save your dish without sacrificing flavor. Remember, though, that when substituting spices, it’s good to start with a conservative amount and adjust to taste.

I would highly recommend using fresh Thai red chillies (the smaller variety) if you can find them. They deliver that flaming red color and leave behind that spicy tingle on the tongue, usually associated with Asian sweet chilli sauce. Thai red chillies are spicy though, so be careful.