How to make a curry less spicy (2024)

FAQs

How to make a curry less spicy? ›

Adding a pinch of sugar can reduce heat levels – just be sure to taste each time before adding too much. If your curry has a tomato base, adding extra tomatoes is a great way of cooling down a hot curry. The choice of using tinned tomatoes, passata, fresh tomatoes or even ketchup is up to you.

Yogurt or sour cream can cool down the curry. Adding a pinch of sugar or ketchup can counteract the spiciness. Starchy foods like potatoes or rice can absorb heat. Acidic ingredients like lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar can cut through the spiciness.

You can make a curry less spicy by adding coconut milk, cream, yoghurt, or sour cream to your curry dish while cooking. These cooling ingredients aim to reduce the heat of your curry by spreading out the spice. Coconut milk is best used in coconut-based curries to complement the flavours.

Reduction:

One of the most common methods to thicken a curry sauce is by reducing it. To do this, simmer your sauce over low to medium heat, allowing excess moisture to evaporate. As the liquid decreases, the sauce thickens. This technique works well for tomato-based sauces and thinner curries.

Remember how we said capsaicin is an alkaline molecule? Balancing it with an acid can help neutralize the molecule's activity. This means drinking or eating something acidic — such as lemonade, limeade, orange juice or a tomato-based food item or drink — may also help cool your mouth down.

If your curry has a tomato base, adding extra tomatoes is a great way of cooling down a hot curry. The choice of using tinned tomatoes, passata, fresh tomatoes or even ketchup is up to you. Another way to reduce heat in curry is by using starch. Adding potatoes or sweet potatoes to a curry will absorb some of the heat.

Citrus-scented cleaners and deodorizers work well to neutralize curry odor, as the acidity present in lemon counteracts the vaporized cooking oils. So, when you can, reach for citrus-based cleaners and lemon essential oil to improve results.

Adding fresh cream or milk can also help in balancing the excess salt in sabzis or curries, this is because cream/milk have sugar, which effectively balances out the excess of spice and adds a nice taste to the delicacy.

Starchy foods like rice, bread, and potatoes can help dilute the spiciness of curry. Add in a small ball of bread or potatoes, this can also help in reducing the fiery taste of the curries. Tomatoes can add a bit of sweetness and acidity that can help balance the spiciness of curry.

How do you reduce the spice in a vegetable curry? ›

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. Taste the curry after each addition to check how spicy it is before adding more ingredients.

Yogurt will work. And some acid - lime juice or a splash of vinegar really helps reduce spiciness. This was a revelation to me. Now, whenever anything is too spicy, I just squeeze a bunch of lemon or lime juice all over it.

You can add dairy: heavy cream, yogurt, cheese, etc. You can add something sweet: coconut milk, sugar, syrup, etc. You can introduce an acid: lemon juice, a little vinegar, tomato paste, etc. You could simply add more of the other ingredients that went before the spice, so the proportions are more in line.

Depending on the dish, simmer or bake it with a splash of liquid to meld the flavours and allow the grains to absorb the excess salt. If it's a soup, curry or other saucy dish, you can add large chunks of potato to soak up excess salt, then discard once tender.

You can add more of the non-burnt vegetables, additional spices, herbs, or even a bit of broth to dilute the burnt taste. Adding a touch of acidity can help counteract the bitterness of burnt flavours. Consider adding a squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, or a spoonful of yogurt to the curry.