Hot Thai peppers

One of the most important ingredients of Thai cuisine, which no one could ever do without ,is …”CHILI”

How hot are Thai peppers?

These chilies fall in the range of “pretty darn hot”, which in more scientific terms means around 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville heat units. That’s about 23 times the average heat of a jalapeno. But really they are at the bottom rung of what you’d call the hot peppers. They are typically about 3 times less spicy than a habanero, so if you’re venturing into the hot pepper level for the first time, a stop off at Thai peppers is good way to travel.

What else are Thai peppers called?…As mentioned, there are lots of varieties, and to add to the confusion even more, some varieties have multiple names. Probably the most well-known name is the bird’s eye chili, with variant names like Thai dragon peppers, African devil, Congo chilies, phrik khi nu (in Thailand), and cili padi (in Malaysia), and many other localized names based off of regions. Perhaps the most fitting name of the bunch is Thai dragon peppers. These chilies have some fire, they are red when ripened (like dragon’s breath), and their shape (an inch or two in length, thin, and curved) even look like the claws of a dragon. Now that’s a cool name if there ever was one.

How are Thai peppers eaten?…these chilies make their way into many Thai and Asian dishes of course, including many spicy soups.

There are also lots of products based around Thai chilies, from pepper flakes and hot sauces, to marinades and powders. These are very popular for their hot kick, and the fact that they can add heat in a pinch for Thai dishes if needed.

Where can buy Thai peppers?…Many grocery stores will carry Thai chilies, if not in the fresh produce section, then at least canned in the international sections of the store. Or, online you can buy the seeds (if you’ve got the gardening bug), the plants, the raw peppers, and all sorts of hot sauces and other products.

This pepper is more than just a stop off on our way up to the habanero. Thai peppers are an essential ingredient to a whole slew of unique and tasty eastern dishes.

Some suggestions:

• The very useful phrase to add to all your order is Mai Sai Prik, meaning without chili please.  The word Mai Ped means not spicy but I found that the vendors or restaurant could drop in a dash of chili just for the taste.  Mai Sai Prik is absolutely no chili
• If you’re allergic to chili and you want to stress that out, you might say Chan Pae Prik, I’m allergic to chili.
• Steer clear of the any menu having the word Yum in it.  Yum means spicy salad with three S: sour, salty, spicy.  Tom Yum is also the case.
• Almost all curry paste which is the base for Thai curry, including Masaman, Green Curry, Panaeng, is made from chili.  Some restaurants geared for foreigners, usually found in heavily touristic area, will have the non-chili version.  Don’t risk it if you really can’t take chili.

Santosa Restaurant, located in Kata ocean view residence, can offer different types of fresh Thai dishes, where the use of the chili is moderate to satisfy even delicate palates. You can easily consult the menu on the website www.santosaphuket.com and ,anytime from our kindly reception staff,  get informations where you can find the closest fresh market for buy Thai Chili.