Is chilli essential to spice curry? | Designing a curry without heat

To start with the conclusion: chilli is not essential to curry. What makes a curry read as curry is its colour and its complex aroma. Heat is an element you can choose to add afterwards. Inspice spice curry uses no chilli, filling the plate with aroma and depth instead.

“If it is not hot, does it still count as curry?” We hear that often. But think back: at the centre of your memory of curry sit the colours, golden or deep red, and the aroma that lifts softly off the plate.

Hot does not mean curry-like

The visual impression of a curry is carried by colour: the yellow of turmeric, the red of paprika. The aroma is several spices layered together, cumin and coriander among them. Heat is separate from both. Which means a curry can read entirely as curry without being hot at all.

Depth from layers of aroma, in place of chilli

Reaching for the sting of chilli to create satisfaction is, in truth, the easiest route. Inspice deliberately declines it and builds body and satisfaction by stacking layers of spice aroma. Designing to the 0.01 g, raising depth with no heat at all: that is where most of the work goes.

Let the heat be decided by who you are eating with

For anyone who does not take heat well, or when you want to share one pot with children: make a base with no heat, and let each person adjust with black pepper or extra chilli. That way everyone meets their own plate.

The Inspice choice

The whole Spice Curry Symphony range uses no chilli. It is a curry that fills you with aroma rather than heat. For a table that is fun, glad and good to eat, every day, with no worry about how hot it is.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Doesn't it feel lacking without heat?
A. The design builds body and satisfaction out of layers of aroma. There is a way of being satisfied that has nothing to do with heat.

Q. What about people who want it hot?
A. We suggest adding black pepper or your chilli of choice to your own plate just before eating.

Q. Can children eat it?
A. No chilli is used, so there is no heat. It can be enjoyed through the sweetness of the ingredients.