Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: Peripatetic Phil on October 21, 2013, 06:40 PM
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It is now about 40 years since I first discovered that the only way to cope with a Bangalore Phal where the chilli is over pre-dominant is to add salt. It brings out the flavour of the other spices while not affecting the chilli one iota. Well, I had more-or-less forgotten about that experience until this evening, when (for speed and simplicity) I made myself a bowl of beef pho. It tasted very good, but when all the broth had gone and there were just about 1/4 of the noodles left, I decided to spice it up by adding some Way-On Chilli Oil with Shrimp. As soon as I ate it, I realised it needed more salt. Now the interesting thing is that the pho, until that point, had been absolutely fine (some of you, with a lower tolerance for salt than me, would probably have said it was too salty). Yet the instant I added chilli oil, I had to add salt. Interesting.
** Phil.
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And the chilli oil isn't salty?
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And the chilli oil isn't salty?
Yes, it is, that is why I use that brand/variety (the salt leaches out from the shrimp). Yet I still needed to add more.
** Phil.
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When you were talking about your phal, did you add salt to dampen the effect of the chilli or to bring out the overall taste?
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When you were talking about your phal, did you add salt to dampen the effect of the chilli or to bring out the overall taste?
In a sense, it was both. The best way I can describe it was to "re-balance" the spicing. As served, virtually the only thing that could be tasted was the chilli; after adding salt, the other spices came through, which had the additional benefit of seeming to tone-down the chilli to manageable proportions.
** Phil.
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Interesting Phil. I love the flavour of chillies and also a reasonable addition of salt. At my age (now 58) I have been advised to greatly reduce the amount of salt I take and have heeded that advice. It would be even more interesting to know whether using "low salt" would do the same thing?
Rob
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It would be even more interesting to know whether using "low salt" would do the same thing?
To be honest, I don't know. I have never intentionally used lo-salt, but I have had it served to me by Burger King, and whilst I would have preferred to be told I was not being given what I asked for, the taste seemed pretty much the same, I just had to use more of it.
** Phil.
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Cheers Phil
I'll give it a try and see how it goes.
Rob