toning down the fresh chilli picquancy I like to use green finger chillies in my curries more for the flavour than for the heat, but in order for me to be able to cook out the rawness of the chillies, I end up with the chillies all "melted" in the pan, looking more like leaves, i.e they lose shape. I was wondering if there are any tricks to make fresh chilli less hot and thus needing less cooking time in order for the chilli to be less picquant.
Most of the heat in a chili pepper is concentrated on the ribs and membrane that holds the seeds.

By cutting out those parts, and using only the fleshy part of the fruit, you will get less heat.

The heat can also be mitigated by dairy or fatty ingredients in the dish in which you incorporate the chili, as they tend to help wash away the hotness in the mouth.