If you are cooking or eating a very spicy dish, you will need to know how to reduce the intensity. Sometimes it's hard to know how spicy a teaspoon of curry powder will add to a dish. Or it could be that the lid of the chili powder container suddenly came off when you were about to sprinkle it on the dish and more chilies fell than desired. Maybe other times, the taste that is considered not too spicy by the chef turns out to be too spicy by the person who eats it. Although some people like to eat very spicy dishes, others will get heartburn or just don't like the sensation of burning lips and sweat pouring from spicy food. Whatever the reason, you certainly have to save the taste of food that is too spicy so that it can still be enjoyed by everyone.
Step
Step 1. Start by adding a small portion of spicy seasoning to the dish and taste it
You can keep adding seasonings to your desired level of spiciness.
For ethnic cuisines that you may not be familiar with, curry spices, chilies, chili sauce, and chili powder can add an extraordinary intensity of spicy flavor even in small doses. So start with half the amount of seasoning suggested in the recipe to avoid regrets if later it turns out to be too spicy because you've already added a full measure
Step 2. Reduce the spicy taste by adding a portion of the same dish but not spicy
If you have enough time, a rice dish that is too spicy can be reduced in intensity by cooking an additional half or an additional serving and mixing it with the first serving.
Step 3. Serve spicy dishes with drinks, dips, or milk-based sauces
Dairy products can help relieve the spicy taste of a variety of foods.
- Drinking milk after eating spicy food can reduce the level of spiciness in the mouth.
- Sour cream, plain yogurt, and cream sauce can help reduce the spiciness of meat and vegetable dishes like Cajun chicken or potato and carrot curry. Alternatively, you can add a sprinkling of cheese or butter sauce to ease the spiciness.
- If you want a side dish, try a big spoonful of cottage cheese or a milk-based dip for a spicy kick. Guests can also adjust the level of spiciness of the dish according to their individual tastes with the milk-based dip or sauce.
Step 4. Add cream, milk, or cheese to liquid dishes such as soups and drinks
Unlike solid foods that require sprinkling or dipping, the taste and texture of liquid dishes will generally be improved by adding the dairy ingredients directly into the dish to reduce the spiciness level.
- Heavy cream or low-fat milk can be added to many types of vegetable or milk-based soups to reduce the spiciness. Even soups made from beans, pumpkin, peas, seafood, and tomatoes go well with milk. However, broth-based soups should be sampled before adding cream or milk.
- If the addition of cream doesn't match the type of soup you're making, add grated cheese or a hunk of cheese (per bowl) while serving, to reduce the spiciness level. Add cheddar cheese to spicy potato and sausage soup. Add Swiss cheese or provolone to vegetable soups with beef broth. Parmesan cheese goes well with many types of chicken stock soups and Italian-style soups. The light and soft cheese goes well with tortilla soup and bisque (shellfish soup).
- If you don't have cream or milk on hand, a spoonful of sour cream for each serving of soup can add visual interest as well as a cooling effect to a spicy vegetable soup or puree.
Step 5. Mix the new ingredients according to the taste of the original dish
Grains, vegetables, and meats can add flavor to a variety of dishes, while reducing the level of spiciness. It may also be a good idea to add new ingredients to a dish because if the dish contains only one ingredient, the nutritional content will not be balanced, especially in one-serving dishes.
- For an Indian curry, simply add potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, rice, coconut milk, or plain yogurt (unsalted Greek yogurt or sour cream are also suitable).
- For Mexican dishes, add peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, cheese, onions, corn, sour cream, or rice.
- Asian foods usually include broccoli, onions, carrots, peas, bell peppers, cabbage, or rice.
Step 6. Add sugar, honey or other sweetener to reduce the spiciness of the dish
This sweetener is especially suitable for Asian-style recipes, chicken or pork dishes, or dishes with fruit or seafood.
If you're worried that the sweetener will change the main flavor of the dish, mix a small amount of sweetener into a small portion of the dish and taste it before changing everything
Step 7. Immediately remove the spicy ingredients if possible
Some dishes with the addition of whole or sliced chilies and the sauce will still leave slices or lumps that can be removed and discarded.
Dispose of using cutlery so that your hands are not exposed to spicy oil. Even after washing the spicy oil can still be left on the hands and irritate the skin or eyes
Tips
- There's no need to change the dish, but serve it with bread and butter, plain rice, potatoes, or other flour and grain foods as a mix and a savior to reduce spicy bites.
- When you want to prepare a spicy dish, add a little spicy seasoning to the dish, so that whoever eats it later can add their own spicy taste according to their taste. Prepare pepper, chili sauce, or other spicy ingredients to match the dish so that everyone can adjust the level of spiciness they like. Hot sauce is another alternative for spicy fans. They can add it to the finished dish, while people who don't like spicy can still enjoy the same food comfortably.
- Another option is not to include any spicy ingredients at all, including spicy seasonings (such as sliced red chilies) so that the person you serve can choose the level of spiciness according to their taste.
