How hot?
The hotness of the thousands of varieties of chillies is determined by the amount of capsaicin present in the fleshy material attached to the seeds. If you want to lessen the intensity of the chilli, remove the seeds and membranes, making sure not to touch them with your fingers. Generally speaking, the smaller the chilli, the hotter it is.
Using whole dried chillies
Soak chillies in hot water for 10–15 minutes or until slightly softened, remove the stem and discard seeds if desired.
Keep your cool
If you’ve bitten off more chilli than you can handle, eating a small spoonful of sugar or adding a little to the dish should do the trick. Drinking water will actually make the situation worse! Cucumber, yoghurt or an ice-cold beer are also good rescue remedies.
