Som tum Thai can be served quite spicy. Vendors typically have a bowl of hot chilies to add to the dish and the customer can request how many chilies they want. Don’t be afraid to make it spicy! It may take a little coaxing to get the vendors to put in more than one chili for Western customers. We like three! The word for chili is prik. If you don’t want any chilies, say Mai ao prik. (I don’t want chilies.)