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Bag of tricks
So far, no master has fallen from the sky. I too had to experience one or two mishaps during my apprenticeship. If you have one of the following problems, my suggestions might help you and you won't need to call the pizza delivery service.
Too many chili peppers or cayenne pepper
Unfortunately, chili is a very strong spice and you can't really do much. If the curry is tomato-based, you can remove the already cooked meat and add a can of tomatoes. Then you need to let the curry simmer for about 20 minutes before adding the meat back in.
You can also double the amount of the other ingredients, of course except for the chili. Or, depending on the curry, you can stir in a dollop of yogurt or coconut milk. This usually helps to tone down the heat a bit.
Too much salt
Too much salt does not necessarily lead to an unavoidable catastrophe. You can add half a raw potato to the dish to absorb the excess salt.
Otherwise, you can dilute the salt with larger amounts of ingredients. You can also simply add more meat or vegetables or even double the amount of all ingredients, but of course again except for the salt.
Too watery
You can first try to skim off the excess water. As another option, you can remove all ingredients such as meat, vegetables, or fish that would be damaged by overcooking. Then boil down the liquid over medium heat.
Too much lemon juice
With lemons, you often don't know what to expect. If you accidentally used too much lemon juice, you should tone down the acidity. Depending on the dish, a little sugar (start with no more than ½ tsp) or some cream usually helps.
Not enough sauce
If you want a little more sauce, add some lukewarm water until you reach the desired amount. But don't forget to adjust the salt and spices to the larger quantity. Depending on the dish, you can also add yogurt, cream, or tomatoes as an alternative to water. Remember that tomatoes need additional cooking time.
If the chapatis are not soft enough
How soft and fluffy a bread becomes depends not only on the flour, but also on the amount of oil, water, and the temperature on the stove. If the dough is too firm, poke holes in it with your finger and add 1-2 tablespoons of hot water. The dough then needs to soak for a few minutes and then be kneaded again. Then you can bake a test chapati at a higher temperature but for a short time and see if that makes a difference.
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