Cooking is considered as incomplete when salt is not added. Salt makes a dish from drab to vibrant with just a pinch. Salt is said to be the ‘kitchen king’ and sometimes we get carried away while cooking and end up adding too much salt to the food. Here’s what to do when the food is oversalted:
Dilute it: Say you have cooked a broth or anything liquid and it’s oversalted, simply add water. Even though adding water might dull the flavours of other ingredients, it is still said to be the best solution.
The right ingredients: There are many ingredients that you can add to bring down the salt content in your dish. You can add rich cream, milk, almond milk, sour cream, coconut milk or even plain yoghurt. You can also add honey, sugar, potato, jaggery, brown sugar because sweet cuts down salt and just a little goes a long way. Quinoa, barley, pasta, or couscous will soak in the excess salt like a sponge. Adding greens like spinach, kale, mustard greens reduces some amount of salt. Lemon juice, vinegar or white wine vinegar are considered as lifesavers as these elements have an acidic nature which cuts down the strong flavour of the salt.
Add white rice: Adding cooked white rice with a little amount of water to the dish reduces the salty element in the dish. The starch in the rice acts as an absorbent while thickening the stew or the soup. This tip also works with sauces and chillies.
Make flour dumplings: Some of you might have dough or atta that’s always lying in the fridge. You can roll the dough into small balls and add them to your dish. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and let the dumplings absorb the excess salt. Some chefs recommend leaving the dumplings in the dish as they taste well because of all the soaked up flavours.
Rinse it: This is one of the methods that’s used to get rid of excessive salt in the dishes. When the salt-steamed meat or vegetables are soaked in liquid, first soak it up and then rinse it off. Even though the other seasoning gets washed off, you can anyway re-season them.