How to Make a Curry or Chili Less Spicy

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Quick and easy tips to cool down a spicy curry
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Don't worry that all of your ingredients and hard work have gone to waste if you make a curry that is too spicy! The spiciness of curries can easily be reduced using simple ingredients, depending on what you have available in your kitchen. Try adding dairy, coconut milk, or extra oil to the curry to tone down the spiciness. Alternatively, you can add more base ingredients, such as meat or vegetables, to help spread the spiciness out. When serving the curry, cucumber raita or fresh papaya are great cooling ingredients, and serving the curry with grains such as rice can also help to reduce the heat.

How Can I Make a Curry Less Spicy?

Use sour cream, yogurt, or coconut milk to reduce the spiciness in a curry. Alternatively, add a handful of grated carrots or diced potatoes to help absorb some of the heat. Or, add more acidic ingredients like lemon or lime juice, vinegar, tomatoes, or pineapple.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using Dairy, Coconut, or Oil

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Place 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. Mix it in with a wooden spoon. Taste the curry to see if the spiciness has been reduced. [1]
    • If the curry is still too spicy, continue adding a spoonful of either ingredient and tasting it to see if it improves the flavor.
    • Be careful not to add too much sour cream or yogurt, as this may make the consistency of the curry too thick.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Many curries have a coconut base, which means that adding coconut milk can work perfectly to dial down the heat. Add 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of coconut milk to the curry sauce, and taste it to see if it has helped. [2]
    • Simply add another spoonful or two if the first wasn't enough, and keep tasting the curry to see if the flavor has improved.
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  3. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Milk can also help to tone down the spiciness of curry. Pour 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to combine it with the other ingredients. [3]
    • Taste the curry after you add the milk. If it hasn't reduced the spiciness enough, add a bit more and try it again. [4]
    • Don't add too much milk at one time, as it could change the consistency of the curry and make it watery. [5]
    • Whole fat milk is the best to add to curries. [6]
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Use either an oil that tastes neutral, such as vegetable oil, or one that will complement the flavors in the dish. Only add 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of oil at a time, and mix it in thoroughly. [7]
    • Always try the curry before adding more oil to see how it has changed the taste.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Adding More Base Ingredients

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Place raw carrot or potato into the pot to cook with the curry sauce. Simmer the vegetables in the sauce for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are tender. [8]
    • The vegetables that you use don't have to be those that you originally used in the dish.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    The meat that is simmered with the curry will already be helping to take some of the edge off the spice. Use an extra quarter of the amount of meat, and cook it until it is lightly browned and tender, before adding it to the curry. [9]
    • Adding extra meat works in a similar way to adding extra vegetables, as this will help to diffuse the flavors over a larger amount of ingredients.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    If you have already used lemon or lime juice, vinegar, tomatoes, or pineapple in the curry, then you can simply add more to help neutralize the dish. Add the juice of half a lemon or a lime, 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL) of vinegar or tomato sauce, or ¼ cup (50 g) of fresh tomatoes or pineapple to the curry, and see if the spiciness is reduced. [10]
    • Taste the curry after each addition to check how spicy it is before adding more ingredients.
    • Mix the extra ingredients in thoroughly when you add them to help them properly combine.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    If you have extra ingredients available and don't mind making more food, follow your original recipe and omit the ingredient that is making it too spicy. Combine the 2 curries at the end. [11]
    • This will help to diffuse the heat in the completed dish, which means that the curry will be only half as spicy as it was originally.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Cooling the Curry When Serving

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Raita is a cool and fresh condiment that you can eat with curry to take some of the heat off. Simply combine cucumber, plain yogurt, cilantro, green onions, coriander, and cumin to make this refreshing dish. [12]
    • When it comes to serving the meal, just add a spoonful of cucumber raitha alongside the curry.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Pieces of fresh, green papaya go well with many coconut-based curries. Remove the papaya skin, scoop out the seeds, and shred the flesh using either a papaya peeler or a mandoline. [13]
    • You can also add a garnish of fresh herbs such as mint to the papaya, as this will help to cool the curry down further.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Reduce Spiciness in Curry
    Although eating curry with rice is already a popular favorite, if you haven't tried it with the curry yet, this could be a simple way to reduce the heat. Try jasmine, basmati, white, or brown rice as a base for the curry, and see if it helps to dilute the flavor. [14]
    • Alternatively, other bland and starchy foods will have the same effect as rice. Try serving the curry with bread, quinoa, or potatoes to experiment with different flavors. [15]
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I tone down spicy food?
    Jillian Fae Downing
    Private Event Chef & Chef Educator
    Jillian Fae Downing is a Private Event Chef, Chef Educator, and the Owner of Jillian Fae Chef Services based out of Temecula, California. With 12 years of experience, she specializes in menu planning and menu research and development. Jillian Fae holds an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts from Orange Coast College and a BA in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Arizona State University. She is also a member of the American Culinary Federation and the American Personal and Private Chef Association.
    Jillian Fae Downing
    Private Event Chef & Chef Educator
    Expert Answer
    You might want to add coconut cream or milk. The coconut will add a nice natural sweetness which might cut through the spiciness a bit.
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  • Question
    How do you tone down a spicy curry?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    You can turn down the heat of a spicy curry by adding dairy to it. If you don't mind thickening the curry, add about 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. If you're okay with thinning the curry, pour 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to reduce the heat. You could also add abouy 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of coconut milk to the curry sauce to cool it down if it matches the flavor or if the curry already has a coconut base.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    Will sour cream cool down a curry?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    Yes, sour cream will cool down and reduce the spiciness of the curry. But sour cream will also thicken the sauce. If you don't want the sauce to be any thicker, use whole milk instead. If the curry has a coconut base, add coconut cream or milk to the sauce to reduce the heat.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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      Tips

      • When cooking curry, try to add the ingredients that give it spice slowly and 1 at a time. This way you can taste the curry after each addition and avoid having a curry that is too spicy in the future.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWZHz7immcI
      2. ↑ Jillian Fae Downing. Private Event Chef & Chef Educator. Expert Interview. 2 September 2021.
      3. ↑ Jillian Fae Downing. Private Event Chef & Chef Educator. Expert Interview. 2 September 2021.
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wsa7XsaHQo
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3iGVrtnSWw
      6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRYOVVexMhU
      7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afXL5ZRlUoA
      8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwiWXsHQd38
      9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbiQ89UTHGg
      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmU1sXsnp3s
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmU1sXsnp3s
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSvy2Z-JZc
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVTvyWvWZz8
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRYOVVexMhU
      6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWZHz7immcI

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        Sep 29, 2020

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