It happens to the best of cooks. You spend a long time in the hot kitchen, working on a lovely curry dish. It looks amazing, it smells amazing. Then you taste it and the fire alarms go off! You realize you cannot serve the dish to your family if it is much too hot. Before you give up and put all of your hard work into the garbage, try these tips to cool down your curry.
 | According to the Guinness Book of World records, the hottest pepper is the Bhut Jolokia pepper. It is nearly 100 time hotter than a jalapeno pepper. |
Step 1: Add Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is a delicious welcome to any curry dish and it has the added bonus of taking away some of heat. Stir in coconut milk in 1/4 cup increments until the curry is more palatable.
Step 2: Add Fresh Lemon Juice
In a curry, the hot peppers are what gives it the spiciness. The acidity of lemon can help cancel out some of the hot alkalinity of the peppers. Add lemon juice in 1 tsp. increments until you can tolerate the spice.
Step 3: Add Tomato Puree
Perhaps you do not want to add the richness of coconut milk. If so, try adding pureed tomatoes in 1/4 cup increments.
Step 4: Use Chopped Raw Potato
As a final resort, peel a raw potato and chop it into large cubes. Simmer in your curry for 10 minutes. Remove the potato and discard. The chunks of potato should absorb some of the spicy sauce.
Step 5: Serve It With Raita
If you do not wish to add to your curry, you can serve it alongside cooling condiments. Try serving it along with raita (a yogurt with cucumber/onions mixed in).
Step 6: Raita Recipe:
To make raita you need the following:
2 cups whole fat yogurt,
1 medium cucumber- peeled and finely diced,
1/4 cup onion finely diced,
1 clove minced garlic and
2 tbsp finely minced mint
Directions: Combine all ingredients until well blended. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
| Hot peppers contain nearly twice as much vitamin C as found in citrus fruits! |
