How hot? Thai phrases for spice level, hidden heat, and what helps when it burns
Mai phet, phet noi, how many chilies: the words that make a Thai kitchen understand you, where heat hides, and why milk beats water when it is too hot.
- "Mai phet" means no fresh chili added. Dishes built on curry paste or roasted chili paste stay hot, so if you take no heat at all, choose the dish too.
- Where food is pounded or tossed to order, ask for a number of chilies. It is clearer than "less hot".
- Penn State research found skim and whole milk cut the burn more than water, while fizzy drinks helped little.
You control heat with two things: the words you use, and knowing where a dish’s heat comes from. “Mai phet” (not hot) makes the cook leave out fresh chili, but a green curry or a tom yum built on curry paste or roasted chili paste stays hot anyway. And if it is already too hot, research shows milk eases the burn more than water.
This follows How to order at a Thai made-to-order stall, which covers ordering in general. Here we go deeper into heat alone.
The words for heat
| Thai | What the cook hears | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Mai sai prik loei (ไม่ใส่พริกเลย) | no fresh chili, chili flakes or dried chili | you take no heat at all |
| Mai phet (ไม่เผ็ด) | no extra chili | usually the same as above, but some cooks still add a little for aroma |
| Phet noi (เผ็ดน้อย) | less chili than normal | a new place whose scale you do not know |
| Phet glang (เผ็ดกลาง) | that place’s medium | you know the place |
| Phet pokati / tam ran (เผ็ดปกติ / ตามร้าน) | the house recipe | a place you already like |
| Prik yaek (พริกแยก) | chili in a small dish on the side | you want to add it yourself |
If you cannot take any heat, “mai sai prik loei” is clearer than “mai phet”, because it makes the cook think of every kind of chili, not just fresh.
Asking by the number of chilies
Where food is pounded or tossed one order at a time, such as som tam (papaya salad), yam salads or a freshly pounded dip, the cook counts chilies into the mortar. If asked “prik gee med?” (how many chilies?), answer with a number: “prik med diao” (one chili), “song med” (two), or “mai sai prik” (none). A number is clearer than “less hot”, because “less hot” differs from place to place.
One catch: chilies are not all equally hot. Small bird’s eye chilies are usually hotter than large ones, and one batch can be hotter than the next. The number is a starting point, not a fixed measure.
Example: working up som tam one chili at a time
Say it is your first som tam and you do not know your limit. Go up one chili per visit.
| Visit | Order | Result | Next time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | no chili | not hot; you learn the stall’s sour-sweet-salty balance | add 1 |
| 2 | 1 chili | warm, easy to finish | add 1 |
| 3 | 2 chilies | clearly hot, still finishable | try 1 more, or stop at 2 |
| 4 | 3 chilies | you need to stop and drink milk mid-plate | go back to 2 |
Now you know you are a “two chilies” person. At any som tam stall, start from that number, and drop one if the stall uses small, fierce chilies.
At a new place, always start low. You can add chili; you cannot take it out.
Where heat hides
Some dishes show no chili at all and are still very hot, because the heat is in a seasoning made in advance.
| Heat source | Often in | Can it be reduced? |
|---|---|---|
| Curry paste (dried or fresh chili pounded into the paste) | green curry, red curry, jungle curry, chili-paste stir-fries, southern curries | barely; the chili is already in the paste |
| Nam prik pao (roasted chili paste) | some tom yum, yam salads, some stir-fries | at some dishes you can ask “mai sai nam prik pao” |
| Prik pon (chili flakes) | larb, nam tok, tom yum, tom yum noodles | yes; ask for less or on the side |
| Pepper | pad cha, rice soup, pork blood soup, jungle curry | in some dishes; it is a different heat that catches people out |
| Dipping sauces | seafood sauce, jaew, some grilled-chicken sauces | taste a drop before dipping fully |
| Whole chilies in the dish | curries with long chilies, stir-fries with whole chilies | pick them out, but the sauce stays hot |
A simple rule: if a dish’s name has “gaeng” (curry), “prik gaeng” (curry paste) or “nam prik” (chili paste) in it, or it is built on chili flakes, assume it still carries heat even when you say mai phet. If you cannot take heat at all, choose dishes that are not built on chili, such as clear soup (tom jued), Thai omelette (khai jiao), vegetables stir-fried with oyster sauce, or chicken rice (sauce on the side).
When it is already too hot
A Penn State study published in Physiology & Behavior in 2019 gave 72 people 30 mL of tomato juice spiked with capsaicin (the hot compound in chili), followed by 40 mL of a test drink. They rated the burn every 10 seconds for 2 minutes, compared with a round where they drank nothing. What they found:
- Every drink reduced the burn compared with drinking nothing, water included.
- Skim milk and whole milk reduced it most. At 10 seconds, the burn rating was roughly half of the starting rating.
- A sweet non-fizzy drink came next. The researchers think the sweetness masks the burn rather than washing the capsaicin away.
- Cola, seltzer and non-alcoholic beer helped little. The lead researcher also said alcohol would likely make the burn worse.
A 2024 follow-up by the same group found full-fat milk was no better than fat-free milk, and that soy milk also helped, more so with higher protein. They think the protein in milk matters, not only the fat, though the mechanism still needs work.
As for rice or sticky rice, Thai people normally eat them with hot food, but neither study tested rice, so there is no data on how much it helps.
Already too hot? If you can drink milk, it helps more than water. Skip fizzy drinks and alcohol.
If the heat causes more than a burning mouth, such as strong stomach pain, or you already have a stomach or bowel condition, see a doctor or pharmacist.
Common mistakes
- Saying “mai phet” and ordering green curry. The cook adds no chili, but the curry paste is still hot.
- Taking a full spoon of dipping sauce without tasting. Seafood sauce and jaew can be hotter than the food.
- Reaching for a fizzy drink or beer. The research found carbonated drinks helped little.
- Rubbing your eyes after handling chilies. Wash your hands first; capsaicin stings the eyes.
- Carrying your chili number from one stall to the next unchanged. Every stall’s chilies differ. Drop one at a new place.
Summary
Say clearly “mai sai prik loei”, “phet noi” or a number of chilies, then check where the dish gets its heat. If it comes from curry paste or roasted chili paste, saying mai phet helps little, so change the dish instead. If it is too hot, milk helped most in the research, water a little, fizzy drinks least. The next article in this series covers vegetarian (jay) food.
Sources
FAQ
Does water help when it is too hot?
A little. In the study, water reduced the burn compared with drinking nothing, but milk and a sweet non-fizzy drink reduced it more.
Can I ask for chili on the side?
At many places, yes, especially made-to-order stalls, som tam and yam salads. Say "mai sai prik, kho prik yaek" (no chili, chili on the side) and add it a little at a time. Heat that comes from curry paste cannot be put on the side.
What should I do if spicy food gives me stomach pain?
Stop eating that dish. If the pain is strong, does not ease, or you already have a stomach or bowel condition, see a doctor or pharmacist. This article is not medical advice.
Ingredients and heat vary by kitchen and recipe. If you have a food allergy, ask before you order, every time.