Choosing chillies
Buy fresh ones that look crisp and glossy and not wrinkled. Generally, the fatter they are the milder the taste. The tiny green bird chilli and Thai red chilli are both high on the heat scale (though the little round and wrinkled Scotch bonnet is even hotter), the deep red Kashmiri chilli is a bit milder and it offers deep colour without extreme heat, whereas the yellow-green European banana chilli is both plump and very mild.

Red and green chillies vary in flavour, but although red ones are ripe green chillies, colour does not determine heat. If you are unsure of the variety and its heat, add cautiously.

Dried chillies
Dried chillies tend to have a more concentrated flavour and can get hotter as they reconstitute during cooking, so add them at the beginning of cooking for lots of heat, or at the end for a milder effect. To remove the seeds from dried chillies, remove the stem end then shake them out. Use dried chillies whole, crushed, flaked or powdered. They will keep for about a year in an airtight container.

In the kitchen
Chillies are used in most Indian savoury dishes. The heat level of a chilli is determined by the amount of capsaicin that is contained mainly in its ribs and seeds. In India they are left in, but if you want flavour without too much heat, you need to remove them. Cut the chilli in half lengthways then scrape out the rib and seeds with a sharp knife. Alternatively, use a whole chilli - drop it into a little hot oil in the pan at the beginning of cooking, then remove it at the end to achieve the flavour.

Top tips
Wash your hands after preparing chillies – the capsaicin they contain will sting and irritate if you touch your face or eyes.

To flavour oil for a stir fry, drop a whole dried chilli with a few slices of garlic into a little hot oil in a pan before you start cooking.

If your dish tastes too fiery, cool your mouth down with a glass of something dairy such as milk or yogurt, rather than reaching for a glass of water.

When a dish tastes hotter than you intended, mellow it down by adding more vegetables, or serve with plain rice and some cooling yogurt.