How to fix dish with too much pepper: Not everyone knows about these tricks
How to save a dish with too much pepper (photo: Freepik)
Pepper adds a unique spice and flavor to dishes. Sometimes, however, even the best chefs can accidentally add too much pepper, which leads to an overly spicy dish that is difficult to eat.
Pour the dish into another bowl
In liquid first courses, such as soup, pepper often settles to the bottom of the pot. So if you have too much of this hot spice in your dish, you can set aside the pan for a while without stirring the ingredients and then carefully pour the dish into another bowl.
In this case, most of the pepper will remain in the pot in which the soup was cooked, and the dish itself will not be as spicy.
Increase the volume of the dish
Another simple way is to increase the amount of other ingredients in the dish. If your dish contains vegetables or beans, adding a few more ingredients may be the most effective way to reduce the spiciness.
For example, if you're making a soup or stew, add more staples like potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, or rice. This will help balance the level of spices without losing the delicious look and texture of the dish.
Add sugar
Sugar helps to balance the heat of the pepper, especially in dishes that have acidic or sweet ingredients such as sauces. Adding a small amount of sugar can help reduce the heat and make the dish more palatable.
For a deeper flavor, it is better to use brown or cane sugar rather than regular white sugar.
Add sourness
One way to soften an overly spicy flavor is to add some acidic foods. Lemon juice, vinegar, or even tomato juice can help reduce the intensity of the spices.
For a milder flavor, be sure to add these ingredients a little at a time, tasting the dish to avoid making it too sour.
Use dairy products
Milk and other dairy products, such as yogurt or sour cream, are known to neutralize spice due to lactose. Therefore, adding milk or cream to your dish will help you control the level of spice.
It is important to remember that dairy products can change the flavor of the ingredients, so it is recommended to add them in small quantities so as not to spoil the dish even more.
Add foods with starch
In the case of a very spicy dish, you can also try adding potatoes, rice, or pasta - they will absorb some of the spice. Add them to the dish or serve them as a side dish.
Or, after starchy foods have absorbed some of the spice, they can be removed from the dish before serving.
Sources: Bon Appetit, Serious Eats, The Kitchn.
