Thai cuisine is most famous for its’ spicy and often fiery flavours; but not all dishes are blistering hot. I am often asked “how hot is a particular dish?” As this is a totally subjective question; it is difficult to answer: what is hot for you: may only be mild for someone else. Individual tastes vary and so does an individual’s tolerance to spice.

At Chedi Restaurant, we follow traditional Thai recipes, mainly from Central Thailand. Using only authentic ingredients but adding less spice to accommodate the Australian palate. Our chefs would rather provide side dishes of fresh chopped chillies (prik kee noo) or dry chili powder (prik pon) for diners can add depending on their preference.

To assist our customers in choosing the most appropriate dishes for their palates and tolerance for spice; I have written a short piece on the amazing chili from a perspective of Thai cuisine.

There are so many types of chillies in Thailand; each used for different dishes. The most famous and often used is the bird’s eye chili or as Thai’s call ‘prik kee noo’. It is very small in length; approximately 2 to 3 cm and can be either red or green. Prik is the Thai word for chili and kee noo literally translated as mouse droppings. So the interpretation is left to the individual.

Chillies for sale in Thai market

Prik kee noo as grown in Australia

Prik kee noo is available in Asian groceries throughout Australia, but the Australian variety is slightly larger and has less bite than those grown in Thailand. But that does not mean it is not hot; so it is best to use with caution as you can always add more if desired.

Other chillies used in Thai cusine are prik chee fah, which is a large chili without much heat. In Australia many Thai restaurant substitute prik chee fah with cheaper capsicums, but this changes the taste of the dish. I am pleased to say Chedi Restaurant is a capsicum free zone.

Prik chee fah

At Chedi Restaurant we have a small potted garden of Thai herbs such as lemongrass, Thai basil, lime leaves and of course chillies. Below are some photos from our own garden of an extremely fiery specimen from Mexico, called the  habanero chili. This chili is rated the hottest in the world and comes with a fire hazard warning. We only use for our staff meals or when customers demand that extra hot fix.

Chedi home grown habanero chillies

Below is a chart,  which shows the intensity of the different chili varieties.

How chillies are rated for heat

Dry chillies are also used in Thai cuisine and can be just even hotter than the fresh variety. Prik pon is added to noodle dishes such as Pad Thai, but again use with caution as this dry chili powder is dynamite to the taste buds.

Dried chillies being sold in a Thai market next to fresh chillies.

A common question often asked by customers is “are red chillies hotter than green chillies”; the answer is yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that green curry is milder than red curry.  Green curries tend to be as hot as red curries, both being hotter than panang or musamun curries.

However, chillies picked early in the season tend to be hotter than those picked later.

Thai chillies from the garden

Chillies are delicious once you develop a tolerance to the heat. A chili bush can be grown in a pot on a sunny balcony or directly in the garden. Add a few chopped chillies to any dish and soon you will be craving that unique burning taste only the chili can satisfy.

Tips for cooking with chillies

• As a rule red fresh fruit are two or three times hotter than green fruit, and dried pods are up to ten times hotter than fresh pods.
• The seeds and white pith of a chilli are the hottest part, so remove them if you don’t want your dish to be too fiery.
• Chillies contain a pungent oil that can cause an unpleasant burning sensation to eyes and skin. Try to avoid handling them too much, wear gloves if possible, and be sure not to touch your face or eyes during preparation.
• As a general guide the smaller the chilli the hotter it will be.
• Soaking a chilli in vinegar has the effect of distributing the hot chilli flavour through the dish. Discarding the vinegar and soaking again has the effect of further reducing the heat.

Enjoy spice

Posted: Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 @ 4:21 pm
Categories: About Thai Food.
Tags: best place to eat in Newtown, birds eye chillies, chedi, chedi restaurant, prik kee noo, thai, Thai chili, thai newtown, thai restaurant Newtown.
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