Scoville Heat Units: From 0 (very mild) to many in the range of 50,000 - 100,000 SHUCapsicum Annuum Despite what is commonly believed, there is no single “Thai pepper”, though most peppers referred to as Thai are small in size and high in heat or pungency. There are at least 79 separate varieties of the pepper that have appeared from three species in Thailand, and they grow in green or red. As with many other types of chili peppers, there is strong debate about them, and a particular confusion when it comes to Thai peppers. They’re outstanding for dehydrating and grinding into chili flakes or chili powders, and also for making hot sauce. Others are called prik yuak (milder, sweet), prik chee fah (milder, green and red varieties), prik leuang (with milder heat, great for pickling), prik jinda (hot peppers), and prik kee noo (very hot, similar to bird’s eye chilies). Agriculturally speaking, we specify that two types of chili peppers grow for harvest in Thailand: the prik khee nu (or prik kee noo) or “bird pepper” and the prik khee fah or plain “chili pepper.” The red bell pepper, by contrast, measures 0 Scoville Heat Units. Learn more about the Scoville Scale here. Thai peppers also appear in other Thai dishes and Asian cuisine including that of Myanmar, where they are known as “nga yut thee”, often cooked into curries like spicy green curry, as well as in “balachuang”, a common spicy relish. Laotian cuisine incorporates similar peppers called “mak phet”, which are used in pastes or stuffed and steamed to create spicy vegetable and fish dishes. Cambodia and Vietnam have related peppers as well, featuring them in various chili pastes and sauces. They are often stir fried and essential to Thai cuisine, often added to fried rice and so many other dishes. These were grown in my garden. You can use other chili peppers as a substitute for Thai peppers, but I definitely encourage you to grow and cook with a variety. Try some of these recipes that love to include Thai peppers. NOTE: This page was updated on 4/26/22 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 10/3/13.
