Thai Dragon Hybrid

[angelique]

Last year, I planted Thai Dragon Hybrid pepper. I dried it and used it for stir fry. For this purpose, the pepper was great.

I normally cook with dried ground chile de arbol (in soups, on fruit, veggies, etc). I ran out so, I decided to grind up some Thai Dragon. Big mistake. From the get go, when I openned up the spice grinder, I nearly fainted from the scent of the chile (I never had this problem with CdA). I felt like was having an asthma attack.

After I recovered, I got brave and put a pinch of the ground Thai Dragon in my mouth. What a mistake. It was so hot that I could not catch my breath. DH thought that there was something seriously wrong with me (he walked in on the aftermath).

Later, I tried making a small batch of salsa with TD (just a pinch). It didn't have the flavor that I was looking for. Now, I know to only use TD for stir frys.

I was really surprised by my reaction to TD. I have been eating chile since I was very little. My grandmother would have me help her make chile since around 2nd grade with fresh (jalapenos and serranos) and dried (mostly chile de arbol) chiles.

[travis]

How big are these Thai Dragon pods, and what color are they.

I got some Thai peppers at the Oriental market last summer that were orange when ripe and about two inches long with a lot of very small seeds and thin skin.

They were hot as blazes. I saved the seeds but a lot of them floated. I test germinated them and both the better looking floaters and the sinkers germinated at about 75%.

The only thing I intend to do with them is give them away next summer to folks I know who like that sort of heat. Heat's okay if you get some flavor (like in Habanero or Datil). Blazing heat without any redeeming flavor is nuts.

PV

[nctomatoman]

I've found that some types of chiles - especially Chinense types (habs, etc) - make me sneeze uncontrollably! Even the act of saving seeds can do it. I've been providing plants of Thai Dragon for years, but will actually grow it this year for the first time (take pics, save seeds, see what I get in the F2 and beyond some day in the future!).

[angelique]

Hi Papa Vic,

I let the pods go red on the plant, then dried them. As a clarification, I grew them in the summer of 2004. To my untrained eye, they looked the same as chile de arbol, so I thought that they would have the same results. Also, I have used both types of chiles in soups (just for heat). I let 1-2 boil in the pot and remove before anyone takes a tastes.

Hi mctomatoman,

Thanks for the info. I have tried habs and don't care for them. Call me a regional traditionalist, but I love my jalapenos, serranos and chile de arbol and other mild & dried chiles for Mexican dishes. Growing up, I never remember any of my elders using habs. Habs are Mexican, right? If they are, then what part of Mex uses them?

[montanamato]

I have grown Thai Dragon about 10 years and love it...but I only use it dried whole as flavoring.
It is generally the dried pepper I add to a pot of tomato sauce. Great to flavor oil for frying oysters in too.
My DH fed me one of the whole ones I had used in spaghtti thinking it was cooked tomato. I had the same reaction described above.
They also make great dills, if one is placed in a quart jar, and they are consumed the first year.
I like the plant as it is hardy in the north and the seeds germinate w/o heroics for 8-10 years.

Jeanne

[chilhuacle]

I picked up a Thai Dragon plant 3 years ago at our local nursery. Since then I’ve grown it from the seeds I’ve saved. I didn’t realize it was a hybrid but as far as I can tell I’m getting the same thing each time. They impart some flavor along with the blistering heat.

We dry them and use whole or cut in half in chili or (mostly) Kung Pao chicken. I’ve never tried to grind them into a powder and after hearing Angelique's experience I don't think I ever will!

[PaulF]

I ordered one called Thai Flaming Dragon from a seed supplier that I do not remember the name of and it sounds like the Thai Dragon. Could it be a marketing tool to sell seeds or maybe a different variation? I saved lots of seeds, so I will find out this year how it compares. Being used to heirloom tomatoes and seed saving, I thought the Thai Flamer was an OP pepper. Now I know better....thanks.

[cdntomato]

There is both a Thai Dragon F1 (Burpee's original) and a Thai Dragon OP in circulation. It is unclear whether the OP is a dehybridized version or selection.

In the hot pepper world various peppers having the same name is a huge problem; saving seeds from F1s unknowingly and sharing is a lesser problem. Segregation in the F2s is frequently not as dramatic as it can be in tomatoland, er, tomatoville. :wink:

Jennifer

[nctomatoman]

Hey, Jen - segregation in the slender green to reds isn't all that dramatic, but it certainly is very entertaining in the purple foliaged varieties! Most years, my seedlings are a lovely mix of green and purple cotyledons...the good news is that they are all lovely and edible, but that is a primary reason that I don't list any at the SSE.

[MikeInCypress]

I think these peppers came from Africa and were discovered in the Caribbean. Red Savina, Scotch Bonnet, Mushroom all are said to be popular in Jamaican Cuisine. I will never forget wiping my eyes after I had just picked some habaneros.

After the pain I could really see clearly.

Michael

[melody]

I've grown Thai Dragons and have had the same thing happen when grinding the fresh ones....but I also had a double handfull of Habs in the food processor along with the fist full of Thai Dragons. Bad mistake...

We had to vacate the house for a couple of hours and leave the windows up.

I had the presence of mind to empty the flaming stuff into a plastic bag and remove it from the house as we choked and wheezed our way outside.

I love hot stuff and can hang with the best of them when it comes to eating peppers...but this was almost like chemical poisioning. It made an impression on me I'll never forget.

[Dukerdawg]

Yes, those habs can be d-a-n-g-e-r-o-u-s!!!

I made some habanero hot sauce where the recipe called for 1 or 2 habs. Well, I thought a recipe that says 1 or 2 could be made a lot better by using 100 or so! Right? Right. :wink:

I now know not to combine 100 habs with vinegar and boil in the house! Those fumes were lethal! It was great hot sauce though. Throw a half pint of that in with some chicken wings and marinate for a day or so. Awesome stuff. Really.


Duane

[angelique]

Hi Duane,

Sounds yummy. Next time, you need to make the sauce outside on the BBQ.

Cheers,

Angelique

[Dukerdawg]

That is exactly what I do now!

Only made that mistake the one time!

Duane