A Wok on the Mild Side

Putting out the flames with Thai spice-free dishes.

 Chillies can be a driving hazard. No, seriously. If you’ve ridden a motorbike in Thailand for any length of time, it’ll have happened to you – you’re driving past a roadside stall just as the cook flings in a few crushed up chillies into a wok releasing what feels like tear gas. You’ll feel blinded for a few moments, but despite the sudden shock the thought will go through your head: just why do the Thais love chillies so much?

It’s an acquired taste. And one that you can get used to, encouraging you to go for fieriness in ever increasing doses. Ever since the chilli was introduced to Thailand, it’s been craved by huge swathes of the population. Even children quickly grow to love spiced-up dishes. 

 But not everyone does. Some Thais just don’t really like all that heat. And of course, many visitors may feel exactly the same way. But it turns out that only about half of Thai food is spicy anyway, so that leaves plenty of choice. And though Thai cuisine is amazingly complex, all chefs focus on one time-honoured guideline: the dish should be a balance of sour, sweet, bitter and salty. Its sheer fieriness doesn’t appear in the equation; it’s second to other considerations. This is good news as it means dishes don’t need to burn the back of the throat to be authentic – and they never have.

Here's a brief guide to the top non-spicy Thai dishes. You’ll find them all in restaurants and food stalls all over Thailand. They’re also some of the cheapest food to be had and are universally popular. 

Khao Pat

Khao pat is a beautifully simple dish, nothing elaborate, but one that adds up to great tastes that are a favourite with Thais everywhere. It’s basically fried rice along with stir-fried garlic and onions with an egg and with a broth of chicken. The basic recipe is enhanced with meat or fish and is traditionally eaten with slices of cucumber. Squeeze some lime over the ensemble and it’s ready to eat. It’ll be extremely mild unless you add anything to it, which you can do yourself – Thai restaurants almost always have bowls of chilli flakes to hand. 

Pad See-euw

A stir-fry favourite, you’ll often see it being made at market stalls. It’s a very nourishing dish and extremely mild. Chinese broccoli, chicken and garlic are the main ingredients. That might not sound at all interesting – until everything is wok-fried in a tempting mix of soy sauce and oyster sauce. 

Moo Ping

Pronounced exactly as it suggests, moo ping, is one of the tastiest snacks around and loved by everyone from early childhood onwards. You’ll often see people stopping by smoky roadside stalls to buy a few of these grilled pork skewers. The pork is marinated first and is threaded onto a stick and then placed on a barbecue. Simply eat with sticky rice. 

Thai Sausages

This is another snack often eaten with sticky rice. There are several versions of these and most aren’t spicy at all. Just choose the type you’d like and if you’re at a stall you can either give to the vendor or place them yourself on the grill. A few minutes later and they’ll be ready, maybe with some cabbage and a small bag of dipping sauce. 

Rad Na

Noodles made from rice help give rad na its soft texture, while the other ingredients make it mild yet filled with flavour. Almost any kind of meat goes well with this dish, but you’ll often find it with shrimps. The dish is covered with a kind of chicken-based gravy and then cooked. When served, people like to add fish sauce and also chillies, but just avoid the latter, and you’ll have a favourite Thai dish that is completely mild. 

Pad Thai

Restaurants across the world are named after this iconic dish, one that’s become incredibly popular over the last few decades. There are many variations, but the basic recipe consists of noodles which are stir-fried with egg and tofu. Chicken is often added too. There’s always some palm sugar, tamarind and fish sauce. A small helping of peanuts, spring onions, and raw bean sprouts and slices of cucumber complete the dish. The combination is highly tasty. This dish was made famous by former Prime Minister, Phibun Songkram, in his efforts to ensure the population had a tasty and healthy dish during a time of great hardship. Virtually unknown beforehand, it looks like he more than succeeded. Give it a try, and it’ll probably become a favourite dish of yours. Wherever it’s sold, a bowl of chilli flakes isn’t far away – the cook usually doesn’t add any but leaves it up to you to sprinkle on as much or as little as you’d like. Sprinkle on none at all and you still have an incredibly flavoursome dish. 

Khao Man Gai

This very simple dish is one of the stars in any cookbook of Thai favourites. It’s basically no more than chicken and rice. The chicken, however, gets its flavour because it’s cooked in chicken broth. The dish is accompanied by garlic rice and, in a separate bowl, some clear soup. It’s a lot tastier than it sounds and the proof of it is that it’s sold absolutely everywhere in the country. You’re never far away from some kind of stall, eatery or restaurant where you can buy it. 

When you eat Thai, there’s no need to be cautious if you want to avoid spiciness. Just knowing what’s what when it comes to choosing dishes will enable you to safely opt for zero fieriness every time. Thai cuisine is one of the most popular in the world and with so much variation, there really is literally something for everyone. It’d be a shame to miss out on all that goodness. If ever in doubt, just remember that magic expression in Thai when you place your order: ‘mai phet’ – it sounds much like the English ‘my pet’ and simply means ‘not spicy’. That’s all you need to say.