Share
Have you ever faced a situation where your favourite food turned out to be spicier than you intended? Well, perfect cooking is achieved by practise, and sometimes mistakes happen as well. Even master chefs make miscalculations in the quantity of ingredients that need to be added to the dish. However, excess of anything, be it salt or spice, can often be a tricky solution to handle and uncomfortable for the palate.
In this situation, we can’t throw away the food. Rather, we start looking for some kitchen tips to make the heat from the spice palatable. Putting more spice in a dish is a common and unintentional mistake that happens in everyday cooking, unless you are visiting a household that generally consumes overbearingly spicy food or a restaurant that specializes in such a cuisine like Andhra cuisine, for instance. Either you have put the spice powder twice or the chilli was too spicy, which you have put in the dish twice. In such a situation, the food becomes a disaster. However, there’s no need to worry. We have collated some tips with which you can reduce the spiciness of the food.
Take a look below:
- Add Dairy
Dairy products contain casein, which can break down capsaicin, thus acting as a great way to counteract the spiciness of the food. Besides, it also has a cooling effect. You can add milk, sour milk, or even yoghurt to reduce the spiciness. However, be cautious when cooking dairy products over high heat, as they may curdle.
- Add More Ingredients
This is considered one of the simplest methods to tone down the spiciness of food. If you’re cooking soup or stew and it accidentally becomes extra spicy, all you need to do is add water. You can increase the ratio of noodles or pasta to a pasta dish or add vegetables, protein, or starch. Vegetables like onions, carrots, and beans can be used to balance the flavour of the dish.
- Add Acid
Acids like vinegar, citrus, or even ketchup neutralise the pH level of spicy oil. Just a teaspoon or so can efficiently counteract the spiciness of the food. The acids reduce the flaming hottess of the dish.
- Add Sweetener
If your main dish has become spicy, you can add sweetness to the food to avoid adding extra spice. You can either add sugar, honey, or jaggery. However, be mindful of the quantity. Not just sugar and sugar substitutes; you can also add natural sweeteners like onions and tomatoes to balance the spiciness of the food.
- Add Nut Butter
It is a fun trick to mellow down the extra spice in food. From almond to peanut, you can add any butter to any of the curries. It is because the oil in butter neutralises the capsaicin present in spicy food. Besides, the butter will add richness to the dish. Moreover, no one will be able to guess the nut butter in the food.
- Serve With Bland, Starchy Food
For instance, you don’t want to mess up the other flavours of the spicy side dish by adding other ingredients. What you can do is have spicy food with a bland or starchy dish so that when eaten together, the spice gets diffused a bit. The best way to serve the side dish is with rice, pasta, crusty bread, or even a side of potatoes.
