Dish too salty? Help is a condiment away!

I can always rely on my father not to grouse when a dish is oversalted. In fact, his constant complaint is that my cooking is never salted enough, so much so that I have taken to placing a bottle of Knorr liquid seasoning next to his plate to spare myself the snark.

Salt is cheap. It is the most common flavoring in any kitchen, therefore the most easily abused. Any chef worth his toque will tell you that it is better to undersalt because you can always add more later. But shit happens, you know? If the salt has already permeated the meat, you’re pretty much out of luck. Otherwise, what to do?

If you are making soup, stew, or anything involving water, it’s simple: just add more water. The thing is, water thins out all the other flavors as well, especially in tinowa or sinigang. Are you thinking potato instead? I’ve tried that, but if you ask me, potato does a poor job of absorbing salt. Try green cabbage, the waxy kind that comes in a ball. I find that it absorbs salt much better and quicker; just fish the pieces out afterwards.

Sugar works, too. It masks saltiness without reducing sodium content, so you are really just taking in more of both as most Asian dishes make use of sugar in the first place — something to keep in mind when you are over 40 or have a genetic predisposition to hypertension, diabetes, or both.

Then there’s acid, both acetic (from vinegar) and citric. Sure, a little lemon juice amps up the sourness of pasta sauce or the aforementioned sinigang. That’s if you like things sour. My father does not, which is why I joke that his inún-unán could pass for tinowa — it has so little vinegar. Speaking of tinowa, I always squeeze some kalamansi into mine. Not so much, though, or I end up with sinigang. You can only go so far with acid. It’s too bracing and up-front.

I have also come across mention of parsley, but I still have to verify that, not least because it’s not common in these parts.

Anything else? Here’s one I bet you haven’t considered: oyster sauce.

Come again, you say? Well, you read right. The next time you happen to go overboard with the soy sauce in adobo or humba, try mixing some oyster sauce into the cooking liquid. Not too much, though: start with a teaspoon. Of course it is not advisable in tinowa, nilaw-oy, or any dish that does not benefit from being murky, nor can I explain why it does what it does, but it has saved me from culinary heartbreak so many times, I can say with total certainty that it works, never mind if your instincts tell you otherwise. Let us be honest: you have nothing to lose at this point. Good luck.