Hot Stuff: What Are The Different Thai Chilies? (2024)

Food World Cuisines

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Contrary to popular belief, "Thai chilies" don't actually exist. Before Christopher Columbus arrived in Asia, Thai people used peppercorns to add heat to their food. A lot has changed since then, and now nearlyevery Thai dish features some type of chili. The list of peppers used in Thai cuisineis fairly lengthy, so we met with Prin Polsuk, head chef of the award-winningNahm at Bangkok'sComo Metropolitan Hotel for a lesson in all things heat-inducing.

It so happens that the chef's favorite ingredient in Thai cuisine is prik, which means "chili" in Thai. Polsuknot only finds it challenging to deal with the temperamental nature of peppers, but he also likes to layer the different aromas, heats, and textures they offer. "We use eight chilies at Nahm, all for different reasons," Polsuk says.

In Thailand, chilies are eatendried, fried, pickled, and fresh. You'll find different chilies in salads, curries, soups, pastes, dips, and just about everything. Here are thechilies found in Thailand, each of which plays a majorrole in giving each dish its unique characteristics.

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This chili is found in the Ban Chang district in Southeast Thailand and can be quite difficult to find. According to Polsuk, Thai people are eating fewer chilies nowadays, which means that it's becoming harder to find good-quality specimens. Prik ban chang is a long pepper with smooth skinthatcomes in green and red varieties. It is not a chili known for its heat, but it is appreciated for its fleshand minimalseeds. It iscommonly sun-dried and used for chili pastes and curries.

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This is not a spicy chili — it's actually quite sweet, and its light green color does not change as it ripens. Chef Polsukuses this chili in a remake of an ancient Thai dish called prik yuak sord sai. He stuffs the chilies with pork or shrimp and wraps it with a net made of eggs, similar to other stuffed pepper dishes you can find in other parts of the world.

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This chili has a glossy sheen to its skin (mun in Thai means "oily"). They come in red and darkgreen hues and are perfectfor pickling. These are the peppers you'll find served as condiments in vinegar or on their own atany street standor food court in Thailand.

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Moving up on our spicy scale is prik noom. This chili comes in the same green as prik yuak, but has a longer shape. The whole chili can be used and is best represented in a popular northern Thai chili dip called nam prik noom. In this preparation, the wholepepper is blackenedover open flames to get a smoky flavor, then pounded into a stringy paste. Chef Polsuklikes to use smoky chili flesh in stir-fries.

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Thai people are very practical when it comes to naming things. Prik chee fahtranslates to "chili pointing to the sky." This chili comes in green and red and sometimes both. Itsred color is intensified and preserved when dried and is what gives red curry its bright color. Appreciated for their simplebeauty, prik chee fah peppersare commonly used as garnishes, fresh orpickled.

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This spicy golden orangechili is not used as frequentlyas the red or green chilies, but you'll usually them pickled and addedto Thai salads to give a pop ofcolor to a dish. Polsuk uses these to accentuatehis phad naem — fermented pork fried rice.

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This chili comes in both red and green and isvery spicy. Prik jinda gives dishes heat and flavor that the Thai refer to as "green flavor," best described as a fresh, grassy aroma.

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The most popular chili used in Thai cuisine is prik kee noo suan. The name translates to"mouse-dropping chili" because of its tinysize, and the pepper isknown to be one of the spiciest found in Thailand. They're used in tom yum soup, spicy salads, and green curry. Green curry paste is made from unripe prik kee noo suan, which gives the curry paste its signature color and tart heat.

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Prik kaleangis the spiciest chili used in Thai cuisine and comes in a variety of colors, from pale yellow-green to fluorescent red-orange. Chef Polsukpresenteda jungle currythat hadme gulping down water and fanning mymouth, and I'm native Thai! "It's a friendly challenge for you," he laughed. The jungle curry he makes at Nahm is not on the menu but is brought outonly for tourists who claim they can eat "Thai spicy" food. "You won't taste it at first," he says,"but after a few bites, you'll feel it."

His infamous jungle curry is spiced with 50percentkaleang chili and 50 percent prik keenu suan. Don't bother asking for anything "less spicy" at Nahm, as Polsuk wants you to experienceThai dishes the way they should be eaten. Cooking them withless chili wouldchange the flavors completely, he says.