new to indian food

angeldaisy

Hi I'm just starting out in trying to make my own curries etc... only problem is I'm not able to handle anything too hot yet so am a bit nervous about the amount of chilli in them.
I don't want to risk making something I can't eat, but would love to try and be a bit braver:o

Any tips for making curries tasty but not too hot??

ElleEm

Chilli powder and fresh chillis are the things to avoid as they create heat, so if a recipe calls for them, half the amount you put in.

Most recipes that you find will tell you how hot the curry will be. Go for the mild ones to begin with. korma is very mild, and butter chicken.

Babooshka

angeldaisy wrote: »

Hi I'm just starting out in trying to make my own curries etc... only problem is I'm not able to handle anything too hot yet so am a bit nervous about the amount of chilli in them.
I don't want to risk making something I can't eat, but would love to try and be a bit braver:o

Any tips for making curries tasty but not too hot??

You can put less chillis in than a recipe states...and adapt to your tastes as your palate gets used to them. Sometimes if a recipe has chilli powder and chillis in it, I leave out the chilli powder, if the person I'm cooking for doesn't like as much heat.

There are a lot more knowlegeable folk on here than me so maybe they can give better advice as I am only beginning myself...but if I find a curry too hot for me or anyone I cook for - I give them yoghurt on the side, or raita, and they can stir it in to cool the curry down. And I learned that the smaller the chilli is, generally the hotter it is, those tiny birds eye chillis are the hottest you can get, so start with bigger chillis maybe? Happy cooking.

Minder

Rick Stein did a Food Heroes series which included a recipe for Mumrez Khan's Lamb and Spinach Karahi. One of the tips in the recipe was to take fresh green chilli and whizz it in a small blender with enough water to make a wet paste. The chilli can be served along side the finished curry for diners to add as much chilli to the meal as they like.

Darkginger

My husband isn't keen on hot curries, and I am, so what I do is make a (to me) bland curry, and then eat Patak's Chilli Pickle with it. You could start by making a korma, which really has no to very little heat, and then work upwards from there.

Some links that you might find handy:

Curry Addict's Cooking Club Curry
Real Curry Recipes
Curry Recipes Online
Curry2Go

Hope those help!

decimal

pasanda, saag (spinach dishes), korma, tandoori chicken, butter chicken, these are all good places to start if you want something that's nice and mild.

If you're going to be making your own powder, don't use cayenne pepper (it will blow your head off) ground chilli powder is better half a level teaspoon to a teaspoon is ideal for 2 people, don't use any of the hot chillies (habanero's, scotch bonnets), If you use birds eye chillies (smallish red ones) maybe only use one, or a half of one, remember that the seeds are the hottest part. The larger green chillies are milder so you can go a bit over and still be OK. that's prettymuch all the info i can give you, you'll just need to keep tasting and adding until you find your own level.

angeldaisy

Thanks everyone for all the helpful tips, guess I'm going to have fun experimenting:D