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Aroy Mak Mak

Bird’s Eye Chilli

พริกขี้หนู

Prik kee noo: small, fierce chillies that bring the heat to almost everything.

Bird’s Eye Chilli

Prik kee noo means “mouse-dropping chilli”, after its small size. These little chillies, usually 2–3 cm long, are very hot, with a sharp, bright heat that hits fast and fades fairly quickly. They are the main source of heat in Thai cooking.

Pronunciationprik kee noo
FlavourVery hot, sharp and bright; roughly 50,000–100,000 Scoville units
Used inSom tam, stir-fries, tom yum, dipping sauces, chilli flakes
SubstituteAny small, hot fresh chilli; use fewer if hotter

Thai chillies at a glance

  • Bird’s eye chilli (prik kee noo): small, very hot, used fresh and dried.
  • Garden chilli (prik kee noo suan): even smaller and hotter, prized for its fragrance.
  • Long chilli (prik chee fa): long, mild to medium heat, used for colour and in curry pastes; dried long chillies give red curry paste its colour.
  • Dried chilli flakes (prik pon): dried bird’s eye or long chillies, toasted and ground; on every noodle stall and in larb.

How to cook with it

Pounded with garlic, it is the start of som tam and pad kra pao. Lightly crushed, it goes into tom yum and tom kha, where it releases heat into the broth. Thinly sliced, it goes into prik nam pla and nam jim dipping sauces. Toasted and ground, it becomes prik pon for larb and noodle soups.

Controlling the heat

The heat is mostly in the seeds and white membrane. For milder food, crush the chillies lightly rather than pounding them to a paste, or slice them lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Heat increases as a dish stands, especially in salads and dips.

Wash your hands well after handling chillies, or wear gloves, and never touch your eyes. Rice, sticky rice and raw cucumber are the traditional ways to cool your mouth; water does not help much.

Buying and storing

Choose glossy, firm chillies. They keep for one to two weeks in the fridge in a paper-lined container. They freeze perfectly whole: use them straight from frozen, and slice them while still frozen for easy, neat slices.

Cook’s tip

Thai cooks ask how many chillies you want in som tam: one, two, five, ten. Start with one or two and add more next time; the mortar spreads the heat through everything.

More Vegetables

All Vegetables

Recipes with Bird’s Eye Chilli

Khao Kha Moo (Braised Pork Leg on Rice)

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Khao Kha Moo (Braised Pork Leg on Rice)

Pork leg slow-braised in soy, palm sugar and five spice until it falls apart, sliced over rice with kale, pickles and chilli vinegar.

210 min · Medium

Khao Mok Gai (Thai-Muslim Chicken Biryani)

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Khao Mok Gai (Thai-Muslim Chicken Biryani)

Spiced yellow rice cooked with yogurt-marinated chicken, topped with crispy shallots and served with a sweet-sour green chilli and mint sauce.

90 min · Medium

Khao Man Gai (Thai Hainanese Chicken Rice)

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Khao Man Gai (Thai Hainanese Chicken Rice)

Silky poached chicken, rice cooked in the chicken stock and fat, and a punchy fermented soybean, ginger and chilli sauce.

95 min · Medium

Kua Kling (Southern Dry Curry)

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Kua Kling (Southern Dry Curry)

Minced pork dry-fried in a fiery turmeric curry paste until every grain is coated, finished with shredded makrut lime leaves.

40 min · Medium

Nam Jim Jaew (Isaan Dipping Sauce)

น้ำพริก

Nam Jim Jaew (Isaan Dipping Sauce)

The smoky, sour, salty dipping sauce served with grilled meats across Isaan, thickened with toasted rice.

10 min · Easy

Som Tam Thai (Green Papaya Salad)

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Som Tam Thai (Green Papaya Salad)

Shredded green papaya bruised in a clay mortar with garlic, chilli, lime, palm sugar, tomatoes, green beans, dried shrimp and peanuts.

20 min · Easy

Tom Kha Gai

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Tom Kha Gai

A mellow coconut and galangal soup with chicken and mushrooms, sharp with lime and gently hot.

35 min · Easy

Tom Yum Goong

ต้ม

Tom Yum Goong

Hot, sour and fragrant prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves, finished with lime juice and nam prik pao.

40 min · Easy

Larb Moo (Isaan Minced Pork Salad)

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Larb Moo (Isaan Minced Pork Salad)

Warm minced pork tossed with lime, fish sauce, chilli flakes, toasted rice powder, shallots and fresh mint.

30 min · Easy