Green Chilli and Capsicum (Hari Mirch, Shimla Mirch): Pick and Store

Pull the stems off green chillies before you fridge them, and keep capsicum whole and dry until the day you cut it. Those two habits double how long both last. This guide covers the best way to store green chillies in the fridge, capsicum shelf life, green vs red vs yellow shimla mirch, and whether green chilli (hari mirch) or red chilli is better for health.

How to pick green chillies

1. Bend one: it should snap cleanly. A floppy chilli is old and will rot within days.
2. Look: glossy, evenly green. Black tips, wrinkles or dark wet spots mean skip.
3. Check stems: fresh green stems, not dry brown ones. Brown stems mean they sat a while.
4. Heat guess: small, thin, pointed chillies are usually hotter; long, thick, pale ones milder. Ask the seller, it’s their business to know.
5. Colour check: an unnaturally bright, almost painted green with colour on your fingers is a warning; buy elsewhere.
6. Quantity: 100 to 150 g covers a family’s cooking for a week or two.

Best way to store green chillies in fridge

The stem is where rot starts. It holds moisture and breaks down first, then the chilli goes soft behind it. So:

1. Wash the chillies under running water.
2. Dry them completely on a cloth, 15 to 20 minutes. Wet chillies rot.
3. Pull off every stem and throw out any soft or spotted chilli.
4. Line an airtight box with a dry paper towel, add the chillies, cover with another sheet, close.
5. Fridge. Check once a week and remove any that turn.

That usually gets you 2 to 3 weeks. For longer, freeze them whole: they keep for months and chop easily straight from frozen, though they go soft once thawed, so use them only for cooking. Our older piece on hari mirch storage and hand burn has more on heat levels and ripening chillies at home.

Shimla mirch: green vs red vs yellow capsicum

Most capsicum starts green. Leave it on the plant and it turns yellow, orange or red depending on the variety. Longer on the plant means more sugar, a softer bite, more colour pigments and a higher price.

Nutrition follows the colour. Red capsicum is richer in vitamin C and vitamin A (beta carotene) than green. Weight for weight, a red capsicum has more vitamin C than an orange. Green is still a good vegetable, and it’s usually far cheaper.

How to pick capsicum

• Heavy for its size: thick walls, juicy.
• Shiny, tight skin. Wrinkles mean it’s losing water.
• Firm all over; press near the stem, where softness starts.
• Green, fresh stem. Skip any with mould around the stem.

Capsicum shelf life in fridge

Keep it whole and dry, in a paper or loosely closed plastic bag in the vegetable drawer. Green capsicum lasts up to 2 weeks; red and yellow, being riper, about a week. Once cut, wrap it or box it and use within 3 to 4 days. Slimy seeds or a sour smell mean throw it out.

Capsicum freezes well sliced for cooking. Spread strips on a tray, freeze, then bag them so they don’t clump. For more on fridge zones for all your sabzi, see keeping fruit and vegetables fresh.

Is green chilli or red chilli good for health?

A red chilli is usually just a green chilli that stayed on the plant longer. Fresh red chillies carry more beta carotene; green ones are fresher and crisper. Both give vitamin C, though in the small amounts we eat, a chilli’s nutrition is minor.

The heat comes from capsaicin. It sits mostly in the white ribs and the pith that holds the seeds, not in the seeds themselves. Remove the ribs to tame a chilli.

Dried red chilli powder is a different product from fresh chillies: see our lal mirch powder guide for buying it. Claims that chillies melt fat or prevent disease are hype. They add flavour without calories, which is useful if you’re cutting down on oil and salt.

Chilli burn on hands: what helps

• Wash hands with soap and water first, then rub with a little cooking oil and wash again. Capsaicin dissolves in oil, not water.
• Soak fingers in cold milk or dahi for a few minutes if they still burn.
• Don’t touch eyes, contact lenses or a baby’s face until hands are clean. If it’s in your eye, rinse with plenty of clean running water.
• Chopping a lot? Wear thin kitchen gloves.
• Mouth on fire? Milk, lassi or a bite of roti beats water.

Three quick ideas

Aloo shimla mirch (serves 3)

Heat 1 tbsp oil, add ½ tsp zeera. Add 2 cubed potatoes, a pinch of haldi and salt. Cover 8 minutes on low. Add 2 green capsicums in chunks, ½ tsp dhania powder and ¼ tsp amchur. Stir-fry uncovered 4 minutes so the capsicum stays crunchy.

Hari mirch ka achar, quick (small jar)

Slit 150 g green chillies. Mix 1 tbsp crushed rai, ½ tsp haldi, 1 tsp salt and the juice of 2 lemons. Toss the chillies, pack into a clean dry glass jar and fridge. Ready in 2 days, best within 2 weeks. Always use a dry spoon.

Roasted red capsicum salad

Char 2 red capsicums directly on the gas flame until black all over. Close in a bowl 10 minutes, peel off the skin, slice. Add 1 tsp olive or mustard oil, a pinch of salt and some chopped garlic. Good with grilled chicken or paneer.

Pairing tip: capsicum’s vitamin C with chana, rajma or palak helps your body take in the iron from those plant foods.

Chilli myths

Myth: chillies cause stomach ulcers

Most ulcers come from H. pylori infection or painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen. Chillies can make an existing ulcer or reflux feel worse, which is why doctors ask people with those problems to go easy.

Myth: capsicum is just a mild chilli

Bell-type capsicum carries a gene change that stops it making capsaicin, so it has no heat at all, not just less.

Surprising facts

• Kunri in Sindh and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh are both famous as chilli capitals of their countries.
• Almost all chillies start green; a few types begin purple or yellow before turning red.
• Birds don’t feel chilli heat, which helps them spread chilli seeds.

Read on in our desi vs Chinese garlic guide or browse Fruits and Vegetables.

Hari mirch and shimla mirch questions