We’ve all been there – you’re gently sprinkling chilli powder into your curry, only for your hand to slip and masses of the fiery spice to go tumbling down into your creation that you’ve spent time, effort and money on. Nobody wants to throw money down the drain (or good food in the bin) so we’ve rounded up the best ways to get your curry or chilli back down to an acceptable, and most importantly enjoyable, level of spice.
Our food team have been testing a variety of different methods to pin down what works best and we’ve come up with these tricks for reducing the heat. Add a little at a time and taste as you go, but bear in mind that you will build up immunity to the heat as you taste. Try our best mild curry recipes, as well as our chicken curries, vegetarian curries and Indian fakeaway recipes.
For the perfect accompaniment, try our best side dishes to serve with a curry and to finish the meal off with style, why not serve up some homemade Indian sweets.
What makes curry spicy?
The main ingredient that takes the fieriness up a notch or two (or even a lot more!) is chilli. Whether fresh, powdered or flakes and regardless of the variety, all chillies contain a compound called capsaicin which causes the burning sensation we feel in our mouths when eating something spicy. Some people are more sensitive to capsaicin than others, meaning they can tolerate less chilli in food than others.
The measurement of spice levels is determined by the Scoville scale. For example, a red pepper has an SHU (Scoville heat units) of 0 whereas a jalapeño pepper is a reasonable 10,000. A scotch bonnet has a seriously spicy 350,000 and Carolina Reaper (currently one of the hottest chilli peppers in the world) has an eye-watering 2,200,000 SHU.
Meet Lulu
Lulu Grimes is Good Food’s Head of Brand Trust, having previously served as our managing editor. Born in India, she developed a love of curry from an early age and still cooks it regularly.
What matters most when balancing spice
First you have to understand why chilli feels like a burn. Chilli isn’t understood as a ‘flavour’ by your body. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chillies binds to a receptor called TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 1). These are found on sensory nerve endings in your mouth, throat and skin (which is why chilli burns everywhere and you need to wash your hands after chopping it). TRPV1’s job is to detect heat rather than spiciness, your brain misreads the signals from capsaicin as heat by mistake. So in order to douse down chilli in a dish you need to understand how to stop capsaicin getting to your receptors.
Capsaicin is lipophilic, it dissolves into fats and oils, not water, which is why drinking water does nothing to cool your mouth when eating something with lots of chilli. Once the capsaicin has bound to the fats it is no longer ‘free’ in the dish and can’t bind well to the receptors on your tongue.
Top six ways to make a curry or chilli less spicy
1. More vegetables
The easiest way to dissipate heat in any recipe is to add more ingredients, generally more veg will be the option you have to hand and they’re quicker to cook than some other options. Starchy veg such as potato and sweet potato are particularly effective as the starch absorbs some of the heat. You can add them into the curry to be most effective or serve on the side to provide a plain counterbalance to the spice.
Adding more vegetables to a dish will dilute the capsaicin amongst more ingredients so you’ll absorb less per bite, but it will not stop the burning sensation as the active ingredient will still be free in the dish. Avocado is the exception as it is rich in fats, however this isn’t a traditional ingredient in curries.
2. Coconut milk or cream
For a Thai curry and other similar coconut-based curries, add more coconut milk, or a spoonful of coconut cream to each serving to be stirred through. The addition of fat helps stop the active ingredient, capsaicin, binding to the receptors in your mouth, which helps lessen the sensation of heat.
3. Lemon, lime or vinegar
Adding a squeeze of citrus, a splash of vinegar or some salt may also work (for both coconut-based and other curries like this goat curry). There’s no hard evidence that this helps chemically, but the addition might help balance the flavour of a dish.
4. Yogurt, soured cream or milk
A dollop of yogurt or soured cream works wonders on Indian-style curries and your chilli base if you have really gone overboard with heat. Simmer the base gently once you have added it but don’t boil it or it may split. Dairy products contain a protein called casein which breaks down capsaicin and makes it less spicy.
You can also try adding a splash of milk, if that’s all you have to hand– both full-fat and skimmed do the trick nicely.
5. Sugar or ketchup
Sometimes a pinch more sugar helps, or for a tomato-based dish like this Cape Malay chicken curry, a spoonful of ketchup. There’s no hard evidence that this helps chemically, but the addition might help balance the flavour of a dish. Do taste as you go though, or you may end up with an overly sweet dish as well.
6. Peanut or other nut butters
As nut butters are high in fat, if appropriate to the curry flavour, these would also help reduce the perceived ‘heat’ of a curry. We have plenty of curries that feature nut butters including this sweet potato and peanut curry and chicken satay curry.
Overall, what is the best way to make a curry less spicy?
For an over-spiced dish, stirring in fat-based coconut milk, cream, yogurt or a nut-based paste is your best bet because they have a scientific reason to work.
How to avoid overspicing next time
- Taste a tiny amount of a fresh chilli before adding it
- Check how strong powdered chilli is – different chillies and brands can vary quite widely
- Err on the side of caution at the start of making a dish, you can always add fresh chilli at the end or serve it as a condiment at the table
Like this? Now check out these curry and chilli recipe ideas:
Delicious healthy curry recipes
Top 10 veggie curry recipes
Best side dishes to serve with curry
How to make Thai curry and curry paste
Our top curry recipes
Chilli con carne recipe collection
What’s your favourite tip for making a curry or chilli less spicy? Leave a comment below…