Thai Chile Pepper

Thai chiles are small, thin peppers with clean, intense heat. They may be used green or ripe red in curries, stir-fries, dipping sauces, and chile pastes.

Back to home

How it compares to Jalapeños

Thai chiles are far hotter than jalapeños and hotter still than bell peppers so a single small pod can season a whole dish.

Storage & handling

Wear gloves when cutting large quantities and avoid touching your face or eyes.
Start with a small amount; removing seeds alone does not remove all the heat because much of the capsaicin is in the inner ribs.
Wash knives and cutting boards well, and keep hot-pepper preparations away from children.

Good to know

Also called bird's eye chiles, they measure roughly 50,000–100,000 Scoville units, several times hotter than a jalapeño.
In Thai they're called 'prik kee noo,' and both the green and ripe-red pods flavor curries, stir-fries, and dipping sauces.
Much of a chile's heat lives in the pale inner ribs, not the seeds so removing seeds alone won't tame it much.

3 Ways to Cook Thai Chile Pepper

Prik Nam PlaA classic Thai table condiment of fresh chiles in salty, tangy fish sauce.+

Ingredients

3 to 6 thinly sliced Thai chiles
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 small sliced garlic clove
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
1 tablespoon minced shallot, optional

Instructions

Place the sliced chiles, garlic, and optional shallot in a small bowl.
Add fish sauce and lime juice.
Stir in sugar if a slightly sweeter balance is desired.
Rest for 10 minutes so the flavors combine.
Spoon sparingly over rice, eggs, grilled meat, or vegetables.

Recipe adapted from Hot Thai Kitchen

Nam Prik Pao Roasted Chile PasteA sweet, smoky Thai chile paste for soups, stir-fries, noodles, and dipping.+

Ingredients

12 dried Thai chiles
6 garlic cloves
3 sliced shallots
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce

Instructions

Toast the dried chiles briefly in a dry pan until fragrant; remove them before they burn.
Toast garlic and shallots in the same pan until softened and browned.
Blend the chiles, garlic, shallots, tamarind, sugar, and fish sauce into a paste.
Heat oil in a small pan and fry the paste over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes.
Cool and refrigerate in a clean jar.

Recipe adapted from Thai Cookbook TV

Thai Chile Garlic OilA punchy infused oil for noodles, fried rice, dumplings, and vegetables.+

Ingredients

8 Thai chiles, finely chopped
5 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup neutral oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place the chopped chiles, garlic, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl.
Heat the oil until shimmering but not smoking.
Carefully pour the hot oil over the chile mixture.
Stir and allow it to cool completely.
Transfer to a clean container, refrigerate, and always use a clean spoon.

Recipe adapted from Hungry in Thailand

Want Thai Chile Pepper in your box?

Every Belle Nature CSA box is grown in Farmington, MN, harvested within 24 hours of delivery, and comes with recipes like these. Order one-time, weekly, or biweekly for the Twin Cities cancel anytime.

Choose Your Box See Pricing

A CSA farm in Farmington, MN delivering farm-fresh, seasonal vegetable boxes across Minneapolis, St. Paul & the Twin Cities metro.

● ◎ ♥ ✉

Shop

Learn