Indian Recipe Hotness

Indian curry spice levels are hotly debated (sorry!). Some people love it hot, some people love it mild, and some don’t mind either way. Luckily, flavour and spice are not the same thing, so if you’re not a fan of anything fiery you can still enjoy a deliciously mouth-watering Indian meal, with no burning aftermath to deal with!

So there are no surprises when you’re browsing my recipes, I’ve created a heat scale from no heat to hot! Three chillies indicate maximum heat (think Vindaloo); two chillies make for a middling spice level (think Tikka Masala); one chilli means delicate and mild (think Korma) and where there aren’t any chillies you can expect to find dishes that will delight your taste buds without the burn!

You can use this scale as a handy way to check the heat of one of my recipes at a glance. But if you know exactly what levels of Indian spice you’re comfortable with, you can view only the recipes with your chosen heat indicator. And you have complete flexibility – just because you prefer a creamy curry it doesn’t mean you can’t chuck in some chillies to raise the temperature!

There are lots of different types of Indian spice and not all of them are hot. In my cooking I use plenty of cumin, pepper, cardamom and ginger, to name just a few! For me, it’s all about the delicate balance of flavours and the complexity that each spice can bring to the overall aroma of the dish.