What to do when a curry, chilli or sauce is too spicy: dilution, dairy, fat, sugar, acid and starch, which fixes work for which dishes, and how to stop it happening next time.
The short answer¶
capsaicin, the compound behind chilli heat, is very stable and does not cook away; simmering longer only concentrates it as liquid evaporates. You cannot remove heat once it is in a dish. What you can do is dilute it (more of everything else), coat and carry it (fat and dairy), and distract from it (sugar, acid and starch). Most rescues use two or three of these together.
First steps¶
- Take out any whole chillies straight away. Fish out whole dried chillies, slit green chillies and pieces of scotch-bonnet; they keep releasing heat as long as they are in the pot.
- Taste a small spoonful and decide how far off you are: slightly too hot, or genuinely inedible.
- Add fixes a little at a time, stirring and tasting between each.
The fixes¶
| Fix | How much to start with (dish for 4) | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| More base | Increase quantity by a third to a half | Everything | The most effective fix. Extra tomatoes, stock, beans, lentils, vegetables, meat |
| Yoghurt | 2–4 tbsp, stirred in off the heat | Curries, dals, stews | Add off the boil or it may split; full-fat is more stable |
| Cream or crème fraîche | 3–4 tbsp | Curries, sauces, soups | Richer, milder |
| Coconut milk | 100–200 ml | Thai, Indian, Caribbean dishes | Adds body and sweetness |
| Butter or ghee | 1–2 tbsp | Sauces, curries | Fat carries capsaicin and rounds heat |
| Nut butter or ground nuts | 1–2 tbsp | Curries, satay-style sauces | Thickens and mellows |
| Sugar or honey | ½–1 tsp | Tomato-based sauces, chilli con carne, curries | Sweetness masks heat; do not overdo |
| Acid | 1–2 tsp lime or lemon juice, or vinegar | Salsas, soups, Thai and Mexican dishes | Brightens and distracts; balance with sugar |
| Starch | Potatoes, rice, pasta, bread | Stews, soups | Serve alongside, or add potato and simmer |
Dilution: the reliable one¶
Make a second, unspiced batch of the base (or just the main liquid and vegetables) and combine. For chilli con carne: add another tin of tomatoes, a tin of beans and some stock. For a curry: fry another onion with a little garlic and ginger, add tomatoes or coconut milk, then stir in. You will end up with more food, but it will taste properly balanced rather than masked.
Dairy and fat¶
Casein in dairy and fat in general help carry capsaicin away from the tongue's receptors. That is why yoghurt, cream and coconut milk soften heat so well, and why raita, sour cream and cheese are served alongside hot food in so many cuisines. See fat-and-flavour.
Sugar and acid¶
Sweetness and sourness compete for attention with pain. A small amount of sugar plus a squeeze of lime is standard practice in Thai cooking and works in most tomato-based dishes. Add in pinches: too much and the dish tastes of sweet chilli sauce.
🛟 Added water and it is still hot
Water dilutes a sauce without diluting its intensity much on the tongue, and it thins the flavour so the heat stands out even more. Use stock, tomatoes, coconut milk or another flavourful base instead, and simmer to restore the texture.
Serve around it¶
When the dish cannot be changed much further, adjust the plate:
- Serve with plenty of plain rice, flatbread or potatoes.
- Offer yoghurt, raita, sour cream or cucumber on the side.
- Add cooling garnishes: mint, cucumber, avocado, fresh coriander.
- Offer milk or lassi to drink; beer and water help little.
Preventing it next time¶
- Know your chillies. Heat varies hugely between varieties and even between chillies on the same plant. See the-scoville-scale.
- Taste the chilli before adding it: a tiny nibble tells you a lot.
- Add heat in stages. Start with half and add more later; you can always add, never remove.
- Remove seeds and veins for a milder result.
- Use whole chillies that can be removed once the dish is hot enough.
- Check the chilli powder. "Chilli powder" in Britain and India is often pure ground chilli, while American chili-powder is a milder blend; Kashmiri chilli is mild, cayenne is not.