A Weekly Recipe Round Up & How To Save Your Meals From Disaster With These Quick Fixes!
How To Fix A Dish That's Too...Salty, Sweet, Spicy, or Acidic.
My First Ever Substack Issue!!
Hello, hi, hey! I hope you’ve had a fabulous week!
Now, you may have noticed something a bit different…I’ve moved platforms.
I’m not going to lie, I was quite nervous about migrating over to Substack (why, I don’t know)…I was on Mailchimp previously, but I hated the fact that you wonderful people (new subscribers and those of you who’ve been around for a while) couldn’t go back and re-read what I’d written very easily.
So, I bit the bullet, said bye bye to Mailchimp, and Hellooo to Substack! From now on you’ll be able to see all the content I’ve previously shared on an easy-to-view platform, woohoo! Check it out:
The Tasty Weekly Round Up
Cheat Scallion Buns // These are probably one of the best things I’ve ever made. You only need two ingredients for the dough and I promise you they’re worth the effort. They’re layered with spring onions, garlic, and mozzarella so they’re super cheesy and full of flavour, you are seriously gonna want to make these! (Look at that cheese pull…)
The BEST Focaccia Sandwich (plus it’s vegan!!) with the gorgeous @sophsplantkitchen - Picture this: it’s a hot day, your bestie is coming over and you’re planning a sunset picnic. What do you make? This EXCELLENT focaccia sando of course, made with spiced crushed chickpeas, mozzarella, avo, hummus, and tomato - winner winner chickpea dinner!
Vietnamese-Inspired Summer Salad - This has become my go-to noodle salad this summer! It’s so fresh, super easy to make, and tastes incredible! Plus the dressing, oooof, so good. I hope you enjoy it!
That’s all for the weekly round up! If you’d like to check out more of my recipes, feel free to click on the link to visit my website!
Save Your Meals From Disaster With These Quick Fixes!
One of the worst things when cooking is making a dish too intense in flavour—salt, sweet, spice, and acid. I've come SO close to throwing dishes in the bin…countless times, but don’t you dare chuck any overly flavoured dish away! Because I’m going to tell you how to rescue them when they’ve gone overboard…
How to fix a dish that's too SALTY:
I find this one to be the most difficult because when something is too salty, it's unbearable—yuck! But, here are solutions that might help you when you next add too much salt:
Similar to the above, add in dairy and/or citrus. Whether that's yogurt, cream, or milk, it will help tone down the saltiness and add balance to the dish. Furthermore, add a splash of lemon, lime, orange, or vinegar.
Double the recipe and do not add any more salt! If you don't have all the ingredients to double the recipe, simply double or increase the amount of the bulk ingredients. For example, if you've made a tomato pasta and the sauce is too salty, add another tin of tomatoes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
This might be a random one, but it works! Add a peeled, whole baking potato (or multiple smaller potatoes) into your pan. Leave to simmer for 15-30 minutes. Why a potato, you ask? Potatoes absorb salt, which is why adding them in will reduce the saltiness of the dish and save the day. When you’re ready to serve, simply remove the potato and enjoy the rest of your dish!
How to fix a dish that's too SWEET:
Nobody wants dessert as a main (or do we?!). But seriously, if you've added too much sweetness, here are some quick solutions:
More herbs and spices! Dried herbs or finely chopped fresh herbs are great additions to an overly sweet dish! When it comes to spices, I'm not referring to chilli spice, but types like ground cumin, paprika, nutmeg, or any spice that complements the dish you're making.
Add acidity - consider using lime juice or lemon juice (depending on your dish) to balance out the flavours.
How to fix a dish that's too SPICY HOT:
Chillies are unpredictable. You buy one from one store, and you can't taste a thing; you buy the "same one" from another supermarket, and it blows your head off! So, despite personally loving spice, I always err on the side of caution and begin any dish by putting in half a chilli... and then give it a taste test. If it's not spicy enough, simply add in the other half, or you can leave it and use it as a garnish.
If you sprinkle in too much chilli for your liking, here are three things you can do to mellow the heat:
Add sweetness and/or acidity—I'm talking honey, sugar, agave syrup, and/or lemon or vinegar, or both! A little teaspoon or sprinkle of these ingredients should mellow the heat!
Dairy comes to the rescue—cheese, cream, but especially full-fat milk can do wonders to reduce the level of heat in your dish. The reason chillies are spicy is that they contain capsaicin, a chemical compound that makes us feel like we're burning (nice!). Now, the reason why dairy products, specifically milk, are a blessing in disguise for spicy stuff is that they contain a protein called casein, which can help break down capsaicin. So, in addition to adding dairy to the dish itself, feel free to also eat your food with a glass of milk if it's still too spicy.
Bulk out the dish—this might be obvious to most, but adding in more ingredients to balance out the spice is a godsend. For example, if you’re making a butter chicken curry but it’s way too spicy, add in more veggies, chicken, tomatoes, or yogurt.
How to fix a dish that's too ACIDIC or SOUR:
We've all been there, getting overly excited about squeezing lemon juice into a dish. Here's how to balance out the flavours once you regret the excessive lemon addition:
Sweetness is key! Add honey, agave, sugar, or any sweet ingredient that will balance out the tartness of the dish.
UMAMI - for those who may not be familiar, umami is one of the five basic tastes that can be described as "savouriness"... but way better. Ingredients like mushrooms, MSG, or anchovies can work wonders to balance out a dish that is too sour or acidic. Look up umami ingredients and see which ones fit well with your dish!
That’s all for these week! I hope you found those tips useful! Feel free to send me an email or a DM via Instagram if you have any questions.
See you next week and thank you for being here ❤️
Em xoxo