Bishy Barnabees Cottage Garden
Thai Dragon Chilli
- Regular price
-
£1.99 - Regular price
-
- Sale price
-
£1.99
Unlike many modern peppers that have a specific creator and a documented family tree, the Thai Dragon is what's known as a landrace variety. This means it wasn't created in a lab or a planned cross-breeding program. Instead, it was perfected over countless generations by farmers in Thailand and across Southeast Asia. Through careful selection of the best plants year after year, they nurtured this pepper into the fiery, flavourful, and prolific icon it is today. It’s a true heirloom, steeped in culinary history and tradition.
The Thai Dragon pepper is instantly recognizable. These chillies are slender, elegant, and typically grow to about 5-8 cm long, tapering to a sharp point like a dragon's tooth. They grow in vibrant clusters, pointing dramatically upwards towards the sky as if reaching for the sun. The real spectacle is their colour; they mature from a glossy, deep green to a brilliant, fiery crimson red, creating a stunning visual display.
Don't let their small size fool you! The Thai Dragon packs a clean, intense, and lasting heat that is sure to get your attention. It typically roars onto the Scoville scale at between 50,000 and 100,000 SHU, placing it firmly in the hot category. This is a heat that builds quickly and lingers, but it's beautifully balanced with a subtle, earthy, and slightly fruity flavour.
In the kitchen, the Thai Dragon is a powerhouse. It's the go-to pepper for authentic Thai curries, stir-fries (like Pad Thai), and spicy soups. It’s absolutely fantastic for making a classic, searingly hot and flavourful chilli oil or a vibrant, all-purpose hot sauce. They also dry exceptionally well, making it easy to create chilli flakes or powders to fuel your culinary adventures all year round.
The plant that bears these fiery jewels belongs to the Capsicum annuum species. It’s a wonderfully compact and bushy plant, typically reaching a manageable height of about 45-60 cm, making it perfect for container gardening and sunny windowsills. Its leaves are a lush, vibrant green, creating a dense canopy from which the bright red peppers burst forth.
Here's what makes the Thai Dragon a true legend in the garden: its incredible productivity. This little plant is an absolute workhorse, often producing over 200 peppers in a single growing season! The chillies grow in dense, upward-facing clusters, making harvesting a breeze. This 'ornamental' yet highly edible growth habit, with dozens of red 'fingers' pointing to the sky, makes the Thai Dragon one of the most visually spectacular and rewarding chilli plants you can grow. It’s a fiery, generous, and stunning addition to any garden space.
| Quantity of Seeds | 10 seeds per packet |
| Origin |
Native to Thailand, where it is traditionally used in a wide variety of local dishes. Developed for both productivity and pungency, this cultivar is now grown worldwide |
| Genus | Capsicum Annuum |
| Scoville Rating/Heat Level | The Thai Dragon Chilli offers a substantial and satisfying level of heat, making it perfect for those who appreciate a noticeable kick. It typically rates between 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This places it firmly in the medium-hot to hot category, comparable to a strong cayenne pepper or a mild bird's eye chilli. The heat is quick and sharp, providing a satisfying kick that spreads pleasantly across the palate, making it ideal for adding a fiery punch without overpowering other flavours. |
| Plant Size | The Thai Dragon plant is a highly productive and attractive bush, making it a fantastic addition to any garden or patio. It generally grows to a height of 45-60 cm, developing a compact yet spreading habit. The plant is often laden with fruit, even on smaller specimens, providing a beautiful display of vibrant green and ripening red pods. |
| Pod Size | The pods themselves are slender and elongated, typically measuring 5-8 cm (2-3 inches) in length and about 0.5-1 cm (0.2-0.4 inches) in diameter. They taper to a point and ripen from a bright green to a glossy, intense red when fully mature, offering a visually stunning contrast to the foliage. |
| Flavour | Thai Dragon Chilli possesses a clean, straightforward chilli flavour. It offers a bright, slightly fruity undertone without any overwhelming smoky or earthy notes. Its taste is distinctly "peppery" and fresh, making it an incredibly versatile ingredient. It holds its flavour well when cooked and is excellent for infusing oils, making traditional Thai curries, stir-fries, noodle dishes, or for drying to create potent chilli flakes and powders. Its clear flavour profile allows it to enhance, rather than dominate, the complex spice blends found in Asian cuisine. |
| Growing Conditions |
All plants are grown on our farm in Norfolk, UK and are grown in an open pollinated area.
Couldn't load pickup availability
-
Hurry, only 8 items left in stock!
