Raita Chutney

The cooling one. Raita is whisked yogurt with cucumber, a little onion, and roasted cumin, finished with salt and fresh cilantro. It isn't a sauce you pour over food so much as a side you eat alongside it — a spoonful between bites, or a small bowl on the table that everyone dips into over the course of the meal.

Its job is heat management. Capsaicin, the compound that makes chilies burn, doesn't dissolve in water, which is why drinking a glass of it after a hot bite doesn't help much. Fat does dissolve it, and the dairy fat in yogurt is what actually puts the fire out. If you've ordered a curry at a 7 or 8 on our spice scale and it's running hotter than you expected, raita is the fix — not the water on the table.

Beyond the heat, it earns its place next to biryani. A good dum biryani is rich and layered with whole spices, and the cool, tangy yogurt keeps it from getting heavy halfway through. That pairing is traditional across India and Nepal for exactly that reason. It works the same way with tandoori chicken, seekh kebab, and anything else off the grill, and it's the side we'd recommend to a table with kids who want to try what everyone else is eating without committing to the spice.

Vegetarian and gluten-free. Contains dairy, so it's the one side here that isn't vegan — if you're avoiding dairy and want something cooling, order the mint chutney instead. Mild, with no chili heat of its own. Available at all Curry Gate locations in Charlotte, Matthews and University City for dine-in, pickup, delivery and catering.