Thai bird chiles (also called bird's eye chiles) are small, slender chiles used throughout Thai, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian cooking. Don't let the size fool you — they punch well above their weight, typically landing around 50,000–100,000 Scoville units, roughly 8–10x hotter than a jalapeño.
In real cooking, a little goes a long way:
- One or two chiles, sliced thin, bring serious heat and a bright, sharp flavor to curries, stir-fries, and soups like tom yum.
- They're fruitier and sharper than smokier chiles, so they add heat without muddying other flavors — great in dipping sauces like nam prik.
- Our Thai Red Chile Bird Chili Peppers are handy for infusing oils, grinding into pastes, or crumbling straight into broths whenever you're building a Thai-style dish.
Start light, taste as you go, and add more — these punch hard even in small amounts.