Recipes
Thai food that is not spicy, and how to keep it that way when you order.
Thai cooking is not automatically hot. These dishes from the archive are no-heat or mild as written, plus the ones that lean a little spicier but are easy to tone down.
Mild dishes from the recipe archive
Sorted from no heat to a little heat. Every chili count in the ingredient list can be reduced; none of these recipes need the heat to taste right.
Mango Sticky Rice ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง
Steamed sticky rice soaked in salted coconut cream, with ripe mango and a crunchy mung bean topping.
Pad Thai ผัดไทย
Tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce in the right ratio, cooked two portions at a time.
Khao Soi ข้าวซอย
Northern Thai coconut curry noodles with crispy fried noodles, pickled mustard greens and shallots.
These lean toward heat level 2, a little warmth rather than real heat. Cut the fresh or dried chilies in the ingredient list by half, or leave the chili garnish on the side instead of stirring it in, and the dish stays on the mild side.
Green Curry Chicken แกงเขียวหวาน
Fried-paste method with coconut cream, Thai eggplant and a big handful of basil.
Tom Yum Goong ต้มยำกุ้ง
Hot and sour shrimp soup, the creamy nam khon style, with chili jam and evaporated milk.
Som Tum Thai ส้มตำไทย
Green papaya salad pounded in a mortar with lime, palm sugar, peanuts and dried shrimp.
Larb Moo ลาบหมู
Isaan minced pork salad with toasted rice powder, lime, fish sauce and a lot of herbs.
Ordering it mild in Thailand
Outside of this site’s recipes, menus are full of dishes that are not built to be spicy at all, among them pad see ew and khao man gai, so it is worth asking what is on the menu rather than assuming everything comes hot.
Say mai phet (not spicy) or phet noi (a little spicy) when you order, and see the full list of ordering phrases for the rest of the sentence.
Questions
- What Thai dishes are not spicy?
- Mango sticky rice has no chili at all. Pad thai and khao soi are mild as usually made, and dishes like green curry, tom yum goong, som tum and larb moo lean only a little spicy and can be made milder on request.
- How do I order Thai food mild?
- Say mai phet for not spicy or phet noi for a little spicy when you order. Either phrase works at a restaurant or a street stall.
- Is pad thai spicy?
- Not as usually made. Any heat comes from the dried chili flakes served on the side, so you control how much you add.
- What is a good first Thai dish if I do not like spicy food?
- Mango sticky rice has no chili, and pad thai or khao soi are mild as written, which makes any of the three a safe place to start.