How To Make Thai Food Less Spicy: ANSWERED!
Love Thai food, but don’t enjoy too much heat?
No problem! There are plenty of ways to tone down your dishes and make them more palatable, without compromising on flavour.
How to make Thai food less spicy
In a rush? Here’s the short answer…
You can make Thai food less spicy by choosing milder dishes like Khao Pat and Moo Ping. You can also be sure to use ingredients like chilli, peppercorns, and ginger more sparingly.
If you only discover that your Thai food is too spicy once you’re done cooking, don’t worry, because it can be fixed! You can tone down the heat by adding an element of dairy, a dollop of peanut butter, lime juice, fish sauce, or sugar.
Keep reading for more in-depth details and explanations on exactly how to make Thai food less spicy!
1. Be mindful of the dishes you choose and the ingredients you use
Okay, so let’s kick things off by imagining that you want to cook a Thai meal, but you want to ensure that it isn’t too spicy.
At this stage, you can save disappointment by simply selecting your chosen recipes wisely, and being mindful of the quantities you’re using of spicier ingredients.
Some good examples of less spicy Thai dishes include Khao Pat (Thai fried rice), Moo Ping (grilled pork skewers), and Pad Thai (an extremely popular noodle dish with egg, peanuts, tofu, and shrimp).
Interestingly, ‘Mai Ped’ is the Thai way of saying ‘not at all spicy’, so this might be something to keep in mind and request if you’re planning to dine in traditional restaurants, or visit Thailand itself.
Typically, Thai food gets its heat from ingredients like chilli peppers, ginger, garlic, and peppercorns, so if you want to keep things mild, go easy with these when you’re cooking, and try adding just a little at a time before tasting.
Of course, this is all well and good if you haven’t actually started cooking yet.
But how do you make Thai food less spicy once it’s cooked?
Let’s dive into some more ideas that will help you to fix your dish during and after the cooking process…
2. Add an element of dairy
This is probably one of the easiest and most common ways to tone down spicy food, and it works a treat!
Capsaicin is the oil-based molecule that’s found in chilli that’s responsible for bringing the heat.
It triggers the pain receptors in your mouth, and whilst a little bit can be enjoyable, depending on your personal preferences and tolerance levels, too much can prove to be uncomfortable and even downright unpleasant.
Dairy contains a protein known as casein, and it can help to break down that heat from the capsaicin.
Cream, natural yoghurt, and coconut milk are all handy ingredients that you can stir through Thai food to make it less spicy.
This works with curries and soups particularly well!
3. Add a dollop of peanut butter
Capsaicin dissolves in fat and oil, which makes peanut butter another good choice here.
Just add a dollop to your dish, give it a good stir, and you’re ready to go.
This option works well with curries and noodle based dishes like Pad Thai, Pad Kee Mao, and Khao Soi.
It has the added benefit of bringing a beautiful nutty, satay style flavour to your dish.
Complement this further by adding chopped nuts to your meal as a garnish before serving.
(If you enjoy Thai food, you’ll also enjoy what to serve with tom yum soup).
4. Add a squeeze of lime juice
Another proven way to make Thai food less spicy is to add an element of acid.
This helps to balance the alkaline of the capsaicin, which can in turn really cool down your mouth.
The best choice here is a good squeeze of lime juice! It’s often a staple ingredient in Thai food anyway, partly because it brings such vibrancy to so many different dishes.
You could add a squeeze directly in to the pan at the end of the cooking process, or cut limes into wedges and add to plates before serving, so everyone can squeeze their own.
This works with curries, noodle dishes, salads such as Som Tom, and fried rice dishes.
5. Add a few pinches of sugar
Adding an element of sweetness is another culinary trick for how to make Thai food less spicy.
It absorbs the oil-based capsaicin, providing relief from the heat and making the food more palatable for those who love flavour but like to swerve too much spice.
A pinch or two of sugar works fabulously, though you can also use a little honey or maple syrup instead, depending on what you have in your pantry.
Be mindful to add just a tiny bit at a time, and taste as you go.
You don’t want to end up with overly sweet Thai dishes!
6. Add a splash of fish sauce
Fish sauce is made from fermented fish and salt, and it brings wonderful umami flavours to a wide range of dishes.
If you love making Thai food, you’ll definitely want to make sure that you have a bottle of this stuff in the cupboard.
And don’t worry, because it won’t make your food taste overly fishy. It simply brings a deeply savoury flavour to the meals it’s added to.
I personally like to use fish sauce alongside some lime juice when I need to tone down spicy food, and it’s a trick that works wonders.
Alternatively, it can also be added to the table to use as a condiment, which works well for salads and noodle soups.
7. Serve your main course alongside plenty of blander side dishes
A super simple option for making Thai food less spicy is to just use a little less of the spicy main course, and add plenty of simple side dishes, like steamed rice, noodles, and veggies.
If you’re in the mood for getting experimental in the kitchen and you fancy trying some new recipes, check out my guide to what to serve with Thai curry.
Final thoughts on making Thai food less spicy
Thai food is full of flavour, colour, and vibrancy, and you can still enjoy a wide variety of dishes even if you prefer milder dishes and like to avoid too much spice.
There are tons of exciting recipes out there for you to try, but even if you try something new and find it surprisingly spicy, there are ways to fix it and make your dish enjoyable for everyone.
Keeping some pantry staples like lime juice, coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce to hand will mean that you’ve got what you need to make your Thai food less spicy!
For more mealtime ideas, check out what to serve with Thai basil chicken.
