From the Whole Chile Pepper Book.
If a prepared recipe is too blistering, here are some ways to cool it down:
– Reduce the amount of chile in the recipe to begin with. More heat can always be added later.
– Remove the seeds and membranes from the chile pods before adding them to the recipe.
– Increase the amount of tomato products (if any) used in the recipe, such as tomato sauce, puree, or whole tomatoes.
– In appropriate recipes, such as enchiladas, add a side of sour cream or yogurt.
– If using canned chiles, rinse them well to remove the canning liquid.
– If making a sauce calling for green chiles, add pureed green Bell peppers to dilute the heat.
– When buying crushed red chile, avoid products with yellow flakes, which indicates the presence of seeds and pepper membranes.
