How to fix food that’s too spicy?
Seasonings work differently. For example, sweetness and saltiness increase with the more sugar and salt you add, but you can’t tell exactly how much heat is packed in chilli pepper. Even a tiny portion might end up too much. Also, if you’re making your curry from scratch, watch the amount of spices you put in. Otherwise, you’ll have the same problem I had last night.
Last night, my plate of chicken curry was too spicy to eat. I waited to let it cool down first but that didn’t reduce the spiciness. I was so close to throwing out the whole meal when I decided to search, and now I’ve brought you 5 quick ways to fix a dish that’s too spicy.
- Acid. Acidic ingredients like lemon juice or a splash of vinegar, as well as foods like chopped tomatoes or even ketchup, contain acid that can reduce some of that heat.
- Nuts. The fat content of nuts can bring down spice levels. Add a spoonful of peanut butter, almond butter or even tahini to make food less spicy.
- Sweetener. Adding a little sweetener doesn’t actually make the heat go away, but it certainly helps to balance out the flavours so you don’t notice the heat so much. Honey is your best bet, but cinnamon or sugar will also be fine. Just watch the amount of sweetener you put in, or it becomes too sweet and you have a different problem to deal with.
- Dairy. Products like milk, yoghurt, cream and cheese are great. Sour cream is a natural choice to cool down Mexican dishes like enchiladas, burritos and tostadas. Coconut milk, though not a dairy product, also lends incredible creaminess to dishes and goes well with a lot of Asian flavours.
- Starch. Serve your spicy meal with starch, like a dinner roll, flour tortilla, plain rice or plain potatoes. The neutral flavour of these starchy foods will help temper the spiciness of your dish.
Have you made a dish that was too spicy and what did you do with it? Share with me in the comments below 🙂
Janice xx
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