Phrik Chii Faa (Spur Chilli)

Phrik chii faa, literally the chilli that points to the sky, is a variety of Capsicum annuum, and like every chilli in Thailand it came from the Americas, reaching Southeast Asia through the Portuguese and Spanish trade after the sixteenth century. David Thompson in Thai Food treats it as one of the principal chillies of the Thai kitchen, set between the small, fierce phrik khii nuu and the dried phrik kariang. It is grown in the central plains and the north, and it is carried by the home cook and the market gardener alike as the chilli of garnish, of curry paste and of the table.

The spur chilli is a long, tapering, upright-growing fruit of Capsicum annuum, usually 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) in length, with a smooth skin and moderate heat that sits well below that of the bird's eye chilli. It is sold green, red and, in some markets, yellow, and the colour marks ripeness: green is sharper and more vegetal, red is sweeter and fuller. Thompson describes it as the chilli used for colour and gentle heat, cut into fine slivers or rings for garnish, pounded fresh into pastes, or dried for the red curry pastes, where the seeds are removed to temper the heat and the flesh gives colour.

Spur chilli is eaten with rice and the dishes that surround it: fresh slivers scatter over stir-fries, salads and soups, and the pounded flesh gives body and colour to red curries, which are drunk with cold water or light beer to settle the heat. Because its heat is moderate and its flesh sweet, it can be used in quantity to colour and flavour a dish without overwhelming the salt, sour and sweet that the Thai table balances; the fiercer phrik khii nuu is added where sharpness is required.