Thai Bird Chilies
Beyond the heat it like the thai chili doesn t compete with the other flavors in a dish.
Thai bird chilies. Bird s eye chile peppers sometimes called thai chiles are frequently used to add spice in southeast asian cuisine. The flavor profile of thai chiles is a slight fruity taste with a strong spiciness. Agriculturally speaking we specify that two types of chili peppers grow for harvest in thailand. Thai chiles are also sometimes known as bird s eye or simply bird chile pepper which is a nickname given as a result of their unique appeal to birds.
What are bird s eye chiles. About thai pepper plants. The pepper plant produced a plethora of small 1 inch 2 5 cm fruits. The small size of thai chili plants only about a foot in height 30 cm makes container growing a perfect fit.
Instead a warmer and softer peppery bite coupled with the aroma of young pepper delivers a complex kick. Studded with small green peppercorns that burst with a mild peppery pungency this relish is not as spicy as one might expect from a thai chili relish nor does the sour taste serve as a noticeable flavor pillar. How hot are thai chiles these thai bird chiles come in at 70 000 130 000 shu. Thai chili peppers were introduced into southeast asia hundreds of years ago by the spanish conquistadors.
And it s widely available in so many forms from cayenne pepper powder and red pepper flakes to dried chilies and sometimes even fresh in local markets. The prik khee nu or bird pepper and the prik khee fah or plain chili pepper how hot is a thai pepper. Thai chile substitutions and conversions if you re looking for a substitution for thai chiles in a recipe you can use dried or fresh cayenne or serrano chiles. Throughout thailand red thai chile peppers have been widely adopted into traditional cuisine since their introduction in the 15th and 16th centuries.
That flexibility gives you a lot of control and a near 100 chance of finding cayenne in some variety when you need it. The peppers are green when immature and ripen into a brilliant red color. Raw dried or cooked the small but potent peppers pack real heat and are used to add spice to dishes or to make fiery sauces. The small chiles grow on small bushes in hot weather climates.
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. Capsicum frutescens fruits are generally smaller. The peppers last a long time on the plant and look extremely ornamental. These small chilis commonly called bird s eye peppers are not the hottest in the world but they do pack a serious punch.
Perhaps the most fitting name of the bunch is thai dragon peppers.