Thai food is always associated with chillies and the hottest Thai Chili of all is the Prik Kee Noo Chili. Prik Kee Noo chillies are small in size, ranging from 0.5 to 5cm long but pack a mighty punch. Prik Kee Noo literally means ‘Mouse Droppings Chili’. (Kindly note that we avoided using the Sh** word here to keep this site suitable for family consumption).

Long Peppers, Piper longum, along with Piper nigrum, were the only source of hot spices available in Europe until the 16th century. Long Peppers were the Western world’s only source of pepper up until the late 12th century. Long Peppers are rarely used now outside of S.E.Asia.

The Thai Chili, Prik Chee Fah, is not the hottest Thai Chili available but Prik Chee Fah is a Thai Chili and therefore should still be treated with some respect! The honour of being Thailand’s hottest chili is held by a tiny chili with the unusual name of Prik Kee Noo.

Mango Powder is made from raw, unripe green mangoes. Mango Powder, known in India as Amchur, is a spice used as a souring agent similar to lemons or limes. India is the largest producer of Mango Powder and also the largest consumer. Mango Powder is used in curries, chutneys and pickles, soups and dhals to add a touch of tartness without adding any liquid.

Chinese 5 Spice is a powder made from 5 spices. Actually more than 5 spices are sometimes used and there are several different recipes for Chinese 5 Spice. Chinese 5 Spice is highly aromatic and was created to give food all of the 5 flavours, Bitter, Sweet, Salty, Sour and Pungent. Our recipe for Chinese 5 Spice uses Szechuan Peppercorns, Star Anise, Cloves, Cinnamon and Fennel seeds but you will also come across recipes using Cassia Bark in place of the Cinnamon, and Ginger or Nutmeg.

Fingerroot, sometimes known as Chinese Ginger or Ginger Key, is an Asian spice with both culinary and medicinal uses. Chinese Ginger gets its English name of Fingerroot from its shape which looks like fingers. The Fingerroot rhizomes have a distinct almost medicinal aroma with a flavour much milder than Ginger and is mainly used as a flavouring in soups and curries, especially in Thailand where Fingerroot is called Krachai, but also in some Indonesian, Cambodian and Vietnamese dishes

Galangal, also known as Galanga (Alpinia Galanga), is a rhizome widely used in Asia as a flavouring. Galangal or Galanga is used in Asian soups and curries and is similar in appearance to Root Ginger but the taste is completely different. Galangal has an earthy, Peppery somewhat soapy taste when eaten raw and is available as a fresh root or sliced. Galangal powder can be found in Asian supermarkets or you can grind dried pieces of Galangal to make the powder.

Ginger or Root Ginger was first cultivated in Asia and is native to China and India. Root Ginger, the rhizome of Zingiber Officinale, is an aromatic spice with many and varied culinary uses. Many Asian cuisines use the fresh root ginger either grated or sliced in savoury dishes. When dried and ground, ginger is used extensively in baking and is the flavouring in Ginger Beer. Ginger can be Candied in a sugar syrup or Preserved in salt and sugar (Stem ginger) for use in desserts and sweet confections and can also be pickled in vinegar and served alongside such dishes as Satays and Sushi.