We love our food spicy anytime. And, did you also know that certain elements in spices that tend to run hot are also known brain and metabolism boosters. Flavourful and better for you? We like that, too. So we called in a professional.

We put Chef Karthik Kumar of Toronto’s My Roti Place in the hot seat and grilled him on his tips and tricks for making mouthwateringly delicious and flavourful curries right at home. All tips have been assigned a spice level based on My Roti Places spice scale. From mild to stupid, these fun tips will have you feeling the burn.

Hot Tip #1 (Mild) Marinating your protein of choice overnight is a simple trick to enhance the flavour of the meat. Pick your protein and coat it with plain yoghurt, garlic and Kashmiri chili powder to increase both the tenderness and spice profile. This trick allows the meat to become tender and infuses flavour into every bite!

Hot Tip #2 (Mild-Medium) Looking for a flavour that goes beyond the classic curry profile? Make a paste using green chillies, ginger, fennel and poppy seeds for a fun and exotic twist! Be sure to create this mixture on a per-use basis to ensure the freshest of flavours.

Hot Tip #3 (Medium) Hungry for a curry with a vibrant yet savoury kick? Blend black peppercorn along with fennel seeds and whole coriander.

Hot Tip #4 (Spicy) Add a real kick to your curry by tempering mustard seeds, crushed red chillies, and curry leaves. Add this mixture to your dish at the very end to create a sizzle in your sauce. These spices are guaranteed to leave you feeling hot, hot, hot!

Hot Tip #5 (Stupid) Soak red chillies overnight with a bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and garlic in white vinegar. Blend these ingredients into a paste to create a curry full of depth, flavour and spice. Feeling brave? Replace the red chillies with a scotch bonnet pepper for extreme heat!

myrotiplace.com; 406 Queen St. W., Toronto