Green Thai Bird's Eye Chile

Green Thai bird's eye chiles are small, slender hot peppers prized across Southeast Asian cuisines for their intense, clean heat and bright, grassy flavor. Picked unripe, they deliver a sharper, more herbaceous bite than their red, fully ripe counterparts. Despite their diminutive size, they pack significant pungency—commonly in the 50,000–100,000 Scoville range—so a little goes a long way in balancing richness, cutting through fat, and lifting aromatics in complex dishes.

These chiles are common in Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Indonesian, and Malaysian cooking, where they are pounded into curry pastes, bruised for dipping sauces, and tossed whole into stir-fries and soups. Handle with care to avoid capsaicin irritation: wear gloves when chopping, and wash hands and cutting boards thoroughly. Their fresh, green flavor complements citrus, fish sauce, coconut milk, and fragrant herbs, making them a versatile heat source in both raw and cooked applications.