How To Reduce Sweetness In Curry?

Cooking is an art and not everyone can nail it perfectly! Well, it is easier said than done, but you need to cook food for survival, good or bad depends on your skills as ordering everytime can dig a hole in your pocket as well as affect your health.

No matter how good or bad you cook, a good dish depends on the balance of flavours, even the slightest imbalance of ingredients can ruin the essence of a dish and that’s when quick fixes and hacks come into the picture! What happens, when you are cooking a lavish meal for lunch or dinner and somehow the dish turns out to be sweet rather than spicy and savoury, and that’s when you realise that it was no less than a blunder.

Well, not every blunder in life has a fix to it, but this one has. So, without further ado let’s look into some of the easy hacks to save a dish that has turned too sweet while cooking. Tips to keep in mind while cooking While cooking we often end up adding a few ingredients by mistake that can ruin the taste of the dish. In fact, this happens to be one of the most common mistakes that happen while cooking especially while making curries, soups, stews.

It is not always sugar that can make a savoury dish sweet, but there are other ingredients as well as that can make your dish taste sweet. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to remove the sugary taste completely but these quick hacks will certainly help you balance out the taste. The balancing act Yes, sounds like a trick, but it is no less than an art to fix a spoiled dish.

Adding too much salt or spice won’t help you balance out the sweetness of a dish rather adding some seasonings and exotic powders can actually help you fix the taste of the dish. In fact, adding a melange of herbs can also save a dish. Add a hint of tanginess Adding lime juice can to your dish can balance out the sweetness.

1. In case, you don’t want too much of tanginess in the dish you can also add vinegar white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar.
2. Bitter can cut the sugary flavour If you want to balance your dish adding a bit of bitterness can actually amp up the taste and balance out the sweetness of the dish.

In fact, there are several ingredients which you can add to your dish such as kale, arugula, cocoa etc. Spicy This works best while cooking curries and soups, you can add spices to balance out the sweetness of the dish. Moreover, spice can not only balance out but also amp up the taste of the delicacy.

How can I Make my Curry less sweet?

Squeeze juice from one-quarter of a lime into the curry and stir. Taste to see where the tartness put the sweetness, and add more if needed. A touch of chili flakes along with the lime might be what the curry needs to offset the sweetness.

How do you make a curry less acidic?

Download Article Download Article Don’t worry that all of your ingredients and hard work have gone to waste if you make a curry that is too spicy! The spiciness of curries can easily be reduced using simple ingredients, depending on what you have available in your kitchen.

1. 1 Add sour cream or yogurt if you don’t mind thickening the curry. Place 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. Mix it in with a wooden spoon. Taste the curry to see if the spiciness has been reduced.
   • If the curry is still too spicy, continue adding a spoonful of either ingredient and tasting it to see if it improves the flavor.
   • Be careful not to add too much sour cream or yogurt, as this may make the consistency of the curry too thick.
2. 2 Use coconut milk if it matches the flavor. Many curries have a coconut base, which means that adding coconut milk can work perfectly to dial down the heat. Add 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of coconut milk to the curry sauce, and taste it to see if it has helped.
   • Simply add another spoonful or two if the first wasn’t enough, and keep tasting the curry to see if the flavor has improved.

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3. 3 Add milk if you don’t mind thinning the curry. Milk can also help to tone down the spiciness of curry. Pour 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to combine it with the other ingredients.
   • Taste the curry after you add the milk. If it hasn’t reduced the spiciness enough, add a bit more and try it again.
   • Don’t add too much milk at one time, as it could change the consistency of the curry and make it watery.
   • Whole fat milk is the best to add to curries.
4. 4 Use extra oil if the recipe already includes oil. Use either an oil that tastes neutral, such as vegetable oil, or one that will complement the flavors in the dish. Only add 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of oil at a time, and mix it in thoroughly.
   • Always try the curry before adding more oil to see how it has changed the taste.

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1. 1 Add a handful of grated carrot or diced potatoes to absorb some spice. Place raw carrot or potato into the pot to cook with the curry sauce. Simmer the vegetables in the sauce for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are tender.
   • The vegetables that you use don’t have to be those that you originally used in the dish.
2. 2 Use extra meat to reduce the spiciness if you want to bulk up the curry. The meat that is simmered with the curry will already be helping to take some of the edge off the spice. Use an extra quarter of the amount of meat, and cook it until it is lightly browned and tender, before adding it to the curry.
   • Adding extra meat works in a similar way to adding extra vegetables, as this will help to diffuse the flavors over a larger amount of ingredients.
3. 3 Add more acidic ingredients if they are already part of the dish. If you have already used lemon or lime juice, vinegar, tomatoes, or pineapple in the curry, then you can simply add more to help neutralize the dish. Add the juice of half a lemon or a lime, 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL) of vinegar or tomato sauce, or ¼ cup (50 g) of fresh tomatoes or pineapple to the curry, and see if the spiciness is reduced.
   • Taste the curry after each addition to check how spicy it is before adding more ingredients.
   • Mix the extra ingredients in thoroughly to when you add them to help them properly combine.
4. 4 Make a double batch without doubling the spice to help diffuse the heat. If you have extra ingredients available and don’t mind making more food, follow your original recipe and omit the ingredient that is making it too spicy. Combine the 2 curries at the end.
   • This will help to diffuse the heat through the end result dish, which means that the curry will be only half as spicy as it was originally.

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1. 1 Make a cucumber raita as a cooling condiment to serve with the curry. Raita is a cool and fresh condiment that you can eat with curry to take some of the heat off. Simply combine cucumber, plain yogurt, cilantro, green onions, coriander, and cumin to make this refreshing dish.
   • When it comes to serving the meal, just add a spoonful of cucumber raitha alongside the curry.
2. 2 Eat the curry with papaya to help cool it down. Pieces of fresh, green papaya go well with many coconut-based curries. Remove the papaya skin, scoop out the seeds, and shred the flesh using either a papaya peeler or a mandoline.
   • You can also add a garnish of fresh herbs such as mint to the papaya, as this will help to cool the curry down further.
3. 3 Serve the curry over rice to help absorb the spiciness. Although eating curry with rice is already a popular favorite, if you haven’t tried it with the curry yet this could be a simple way to reduce the heat. Try jasmine, basmati, white, or brown rice as a base for the curry, and see if it helps to dilute the flavor.
   • Alternatively, other bland and starchy foods will have the same effect as rice. Try serving the curry with bread, quinoa, or potatoes to experiment with different flavors.

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Add New Question

• Question How do I tone down spicy food? Jillian Fae Downing is a Private Event Chef, Chef Educator, and the Owner of Jillian Fae Chef Services based out of Temecula, California. With 12 years of experience, she specializes in menu planning and menu research and development. Jillian Fae holds an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts from Orange Coast College and a BA in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Arizona State University. Private Event Chef & Chef Educator Expert Answer You might want to add coconut cream or milk. The coconut will add a nice natural sweetness which might cut through the spiciness a bit.
• Question How do you tone down a spicy curry? Drew Hawkins1 Community Answer You can turn down the heat of a spicy curry by adding dairy to it. If you don’t mind thickening the curry, add about 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. If you’re okay with thinning the curry, pour 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to reduce the heat. You could also add abouy 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of coconut milk to the curry sauce to cool it down if it matches the flavor or if the curry already has a coconut base.
• Question Will sour cream cool down a curry? Drew Hawkins1 Community Answer Yes, sour cream will cool down and reduce the spiciness of the curry. But sour cream will also thicken the sauce. If you don’t want the sauce to be any thicker, use whole milk instead. If the curry has a coconut base, add coconut cream or milk to the sauce to reduce the heat.

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

When cooking curry, try to add the ingredients that give it spice slowly and 1 at a time. This way you can taste the curry after each addition and avoid having a curry that is too spicy in the future. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Advertisement Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 102,574 times.

Why does my curry taste disappointingly sweet?

Curries and other Asian-inspired food have long been firm favourites in the UK. Keen cooks enjoy attempting to replicate, or even improve upon, restaurant dishes. Occasionally things don’t go quite as planned, and the curry that you have spent so long preparing tastes disappointingly sweet.

1. Don’t worry – there are ways of remedying the situation.
2. Remember that the basic premise of Asian cooking is a delicate balance of sweet and sour ingredients; for example, chillies, limes and tamarind paste provide sourness, while onions, tomatoes and coconut contribute sweetness.
3. When your curry tastes over-sweet, it needs re-balancing by adding extra sourness.

One of the following options will rescue your dish.

Curries and other Asian-inspired food have long been firm favourites in the UK. Remember that the basic premise of Asian cooking is a delicate balance of sweet and sour ingredients; for example, chillies, limes and tamarind paste provide sourness, while onions, tomatoes and coconut contribute sweetness.

Add a little sea salt, ¼ tsp at a time. Stir well and taste as you go. It is possible that’s all the curry needs to regain the right degree of sourness.

Add a little sea salt, ¼ tsp at a time.

Pour in ½ tbsp of lemon or lime juice, stir and then taste. If the curry is starting to taste better, add a little more until it’s just right., Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images Add in ½ tsp of tamarind paste. You will need to make sure it is stirred in really well as, being a sticky paste, it takes a while to be fully incorporated. Add more as necessary. Tamarind paste is very sour and is a very useful store cupboard standby if you make a lot of curries.

Chop up finely 1 tbsp of pickled hot jalapeño peppers and stir into the curry. While not an authentic Asian ingredient, they will add the sourness you need. If you don’t have any tamarind paste, lime pickle is a good substitute. Chop the pieces of lime before adding to the curry. Should the curry become too sour, simply add in one of the sweeter ingredients already used, such as coconut cream or even honey.

If the dish is too hot, spoon in a little plain yoghurt or crème fraîche. Do not put your hands anywhere near your face when chopping jalapeño peppers. Wash hands thoroughly or wear gloves while chopping.

What should I do if my Curry is too spicy?

Download Article Download Article Don’t worry that all of your ingredients and hard work have gone to waste if you make a curry that is too spicy! The spiciness of curries can easily be reduced using simple ingredients, depending on what you have available in your kitchen.

1. 1 Add sour cream or yogurt if you don’t mind thickening the curry. Place 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. Mix it in with a wooden spoon. Taste the curry to see if the spiciness has been reduced.
   • If the curry is still too spicy, continue adding a spoonful of either ingredient and tasting it to see if it improves the flavor.
   • Be careful not to add too much sour cream or yogurt, as this may make the consistency of the curry too thick.
2. 2 Use coconut milk if it matches the flavor. Many curries have a coconut base, which means that adding coconut milk can work perfectly to dial down the heat. Add 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of coconut milk to the curry sauce, and taste it to see if it has helped.
   • Simply add another spoonful or two if the first wasn’t enough, and keep tasting the curry to see if the flavor has improved.

   Advertisement

3. 3 Add milk if you don’t mind thinning the curry. Milk can also help to tone down the spiciness of curry. Pour 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to combine it with the other ingredients.
   • Taste the curry after you add the milk. If it hasn’t reduced the spiciness enough, add a bit more and try it again.
   • Don’t add too much milk at one time, as it could change the consistency of the curry and make it watery.
   • Whole fat milk is the best to add to curries.
4. 4 Use extra oil if the recipe already includes oil. Use either an oil that tastes neutral, such as vegetable oil, or one that will complement the flavors in the dish. Only add 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of oil at a time, and mix it in thoroughly.
   • Always try the curry before adding more oil to see how it has changed the taste.

Advertisement

1. 1 Add a handful of grated carrot or diced potatoes to absorb some spice. Place raw carrot or potato into the pot to cook with the curry sauce. Simmer the vegetables in the sauce for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are tender.
   • The vegetables that you use don’t have to be those that you originally used in the dish.
2. 2 Use extra meat to reduce the spiciness if you want to bulk up the curry. The meat that is simmered with the curry will already be helping to take some of the edge off the spice. Use an extra quarter of the amount of meat, and cook it until it is lightly browned and tender, before adding it to the curry.
   • Adding extra meat works in a similar way to adding extra vegetables, as this will help to diffuse the flavors over a larger amount of ingredients.
3. 3 Add more acidic ingredients if they are already part of the dish. If you have already used lemon or lime juice, vinegar, tomatoes, or pineapple in the curry, then you can simply add more to help neutralize the dish. Add the juice of half a lemon or a lime, 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 mL) of vinegar or tomato sauce, or ¼ cup (50 g) of fresh tomatoes or pineapple to the curry, and see if the spiciness is reduced.
   • Taste the curry after each addition to check how spicy it is before adding more ingredients.
   • Mix the extra ingredients in thoroughly to when you add them to help them properly combine.
4. 4 Make a double batch without doubling the spice to help diffuse the heat. If you have extra ingredients available and don’t mind making more food, follow your original recipe and omit the ingredient that is making it too spicy. Combine the 2 curries at the end.
   • This will help to diffuse the heat through the end result dish, which means that the curry will be only half as spicy as it was originally.

Advertisement

1. 1 Make a cucumber raita as a cooling condiment to serve with the curry. Raita is a cool and fresh condiment that you can eat with curry to take some of the heat off. Simply combine cucumber, plain yogurt, cilantro, green onions, coriander, and cumin to make this refreshing dish.
   • When it comes to serving the meal, just add a spoonful of cucumber raitha alongside the curry.
2. 2 Eat the curry with papaya to help cool it down. Pieces of fresh, green papaya go well with many coconut-based curries. Remove the papaya skin, scoop out the seeds, and shred the flesh using either a papaya peeler or a mandoline.
   • You can also add a garnish of fresh herbs such as mint to the papaya, as this will help to cool the curry down further.
3. 3 Serve the curry over rice to help absorb the spiciness. Although eating curry with rice is already a popular favorite, if you haven’t tried it with the curry yet this could be a simple way to reduce the heat. Try jasmine, basmati, white, or brown rice as a base for the curry, and see if it helps to dilute the flavor.
   • Alternatively, other bland and starchy foods will have the same effect as rice. Try serving the curry with bread, quinoa, or potatoes to experiment with different flavors.

Advertisement

Add New Question

• Question How do I tone down spicy food? Jillian Fae Downing is a Private Event Chef, Chef Educator, and the Owner of Jillian Fae Chef Services based out of Temecula, California. With 12 years of experience, she specializes in menu planning and menu research and development. Jillian Fae holds an Associate of Science in Culinary Arts from Orange Coast College and a BA in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Arizona State University. Private Event Chef & Chef Educator Expert Answer You might want to add coconut cream or milk. The coconut will add a nice natural sweetness which might cut through the spiciness a bit.
• Question How do you tone down a spicy curry? Drew Hawkins1 Community Answer You can turn down the heat of a spicy curry by adding dairy to it. If you don’t mind thickening the curry, add about 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of sour cream or yogurt into the pot of curry. If you’re okay with thinning the curry, pour 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk into the pot that has the curry sauce in it, and mix it in to reduce the heat. You could also add abouy 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of coconut milk to the curry sauce to cool it down if it matches the flavor or if the curry already has a coconut base.
• Question Will sour cream cool down a curry? Drew Hawkins1 Community Answer Yes, sour cream will cool down and reduce the spiciness of the curry. But sour cream will also thicken the sauce. If you don’t want the sauce to be any thicker, use whole milk instead. If the curry has a coconut base, add coconut cream or milk to the sauce to reduce the heat.

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

When cooking curry, try to add the ingredients that give it spice slowly and 1 at a time. This way you can taste the curry after each addition and avoid having a curry that is too spicy in the future. As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy!

Advertisement Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 102,574 times.

How can I Make my Curry less sweet?

Squeeze juice from one-quarter of a lime into the curry and stir. Taste to see where the tartness put the sweetness, and add more if needed. A touch of chili flakes along with the lime might be what the curry needs to offset the sweetness.

Why does my curry taste disappointingly sweet?

Curries and other Asian-inspired food have long been firm favourites in the UK. Keen cooks enjoy attempting to replicate, or even improve upon, restaurant dishes. Occasionally things don’t go quite as planned, and the curry that you have spent so long preparing tastes disappointingly sweet.

Don’t worry – there are ways of remedying the situation. Remember that the basic premise of Asian cooking is a delicate balance of sweet and sour ingredients; for example, chillies, limes and tamarind paste provide sourness, while onions, tomatoes and coconut contribute sweetness. When your curry tastes over-sweet, it needs re-balancing by adding extra sourness.

One of the following options will rescue your dish.

Curries and other Asian-inspired food have long been firm favourites in the UK. Remember that the basic premise of Asian cooking is a delicate balance of sweet and sour ingredients; for example, chillies, limes and tamarind paste provide sourness, while onions, tomatoes and coconut contribute sweetness.

Add a little sea salt, ¼ tsp at a time. Stir well and taste as you go. It is possible that’s all the curry needs to regain the right degree of sourness.

Add a little sea salt, ¼ tsp at a time.

Pour in ½ tbsp of lemon or lime juice, stir and then taste. If the curry is starting to taste better, add a little more until it’s just right., Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images Add in ½ tsp of tamarind paste. You will need to make sure it is stirred in really well as, being a sticky paste, it takes a while to be fully incorporated. Add more as necessary. Tamarind paste is very sour and is a very useful store cupboard standby if you make a lot of curries.

Chop up finely 1 tbsp of pickled hot jalapeño peppers and stir into the curry. While not an authentic Asian ingredient, they will add the sourness you need. If you don’t have any tamarind paste, lime pickle is a good substitute. Chop the pieces of lime before adding to the curry. Should the curry become too sour, simply add in one of the sweeter ingredients already used, such as coconut cream or even honey.

If the dish is too hot, spoon in a little plain yoghurt or crème fraîche. Do not put your hands anywhere near your face when chopping jalapeño peppers. Wash hands thoroughly or wear gloves while chopping.

How do you fix sweet food that is too sweet?

Balance Out the Flavors – If your dish is a little too sweet, try rounding out the sweetness by adding flavors or ingredients that are sour, bitter, or spicy. It may be obvious not to add more sweet ingredients, but you should also stay away from salty ones since they actually bring out the sweetness in food.

1. Sour: The general go-to here would be lemon juice, although lime will also work.
2. Orange juice will only add more sweetness as will some kinds of vinegar.
3. White wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar are good choices but shy away from balsamic because of its inherent sweetness.
4. Bitter: There are plenty of foods that taste bitter, but it’s difficult to add pure bitterness as a way of balancing out sweetness without also adding a large number of ingredients like kale, arugula, or radicchio.

The solution: unsweetened cocoa powder. If you’re working with two quarts of sauce, start with 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and work your way up. This can help the dish taste less sweet even though it has the same amount of sweetener. Don’t add too much or your dish will have a chocolatey taste.

What to do if your Curry is too sour?

Curries and other Asian-inspired food have long been firm favourites in the UK. Keen cooks enjoy attempting to replicate, or even improve upon, restaurant dishes. Occasionally things don’t go quite as planned, and the curry that you have spent so long preparing tastes disappointingly sweet.

Don’t worry – there are ways of remedying the situation. Remember that the basic premise of Asian cooking is a delicate balance of sweet and sour ingredients; for example, chillies, limes and tamarind paste provide sourness, while onions, tomatoes and coconut contribute sweetness. When your curry tastes over-sweet, it needs re-balancing by adding extra sourness.

One of the following options will rescue your dish.

Curries and other Asian-inspired food have long been firm favourites in the UK. Remember that the basic premise of Asian cooking is a delicate balance of sweet and sour ingredients; for example, chillies, limes and tamarind paste provide sourness, while onions, tomatoes and coconut contribute sweetness.

Add a little sea salt, ¼ tsp at a time. Stir well and taste as you go. It is possible that’s all the curry needs to regain the right degree of sourness.

Add a little sea salt, ¼ tsp at a time.

Pour in ½ tbsp of lemon or lime juice, stir and then taste. If the curry is starting to taste better, add a little more until it’s just right., Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images Add in ½ tsp of tamarind paste. You will need to make sure it is stirred in really well as, being a sticky paste, it takes a while to be fully incorporated. Add more as necessary. Tamarind paste is very sour and is a very useful store cupboard standby if you make a lot of curries.

• Chop up finely 1 tbsp of pickled hot jalapeño peppers and stir into the curry.
• While not an authentic Asian ingredient, they will add the sourness you need.
• If you don’t have any tamarind paste, lime pickle is a good substitute.
• Chop the pieces of lime before adding to the curry.
• Should the curry become too sour, simply add in one of the sweeter ingredients already used, such as coconut cream or even honey.

If the dish is too hot, spoon in a little plain yoghurt or crème fraîche. Do not put your hands anywhere near your face when chopping jalapeño peppers. Wash hands thoroughly or wear gloves while chopping.

Indira Usman