How can I fix a mole sauce with excessive cinnamon?
I made an Oaxacan-style mole and went too heavy with the cinnamon stick. That flavor is now too prevalent. How can I fix this?
I was thinking about adding some chicken stock and tomato sauce. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Best Answer
Clove or allspice can take it nicely over the top; sage and oregano can tame it.
This approach means to simply adjust the flavors of the sauce. Basically, if the problem you are having is that cinnamon is to cinnamon-y and distinct relative to taste, you can apply a flavor blur with neighboring spices (the clove, allspice, coriander, cardamom, cumin etc). If the problem is that you are finding that neighborhood of flavor to intense, you can round the palate by adding the herbs.
The other route would be re-scaling the sauce. Adding stock, oil/fat, peppers/onions, chocolate disks/cocoa, or other ratio constituents means you would need to re-up on the other constituents as it may throw off the sauce's viscosity. This may be preferable if you simply can't stand the cinnamon or its neighbors; or if balancing the spice/herbs would make the sauce too noisy.
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Quick Answer about "How can I fix a mole sauce with excessive cinnamon?"
You can reduce the perceived cinnamon by adding a bit of cumin, and vice versa.How do you cut the taste of cinnamon?
If the cinnamon flavor is too sweet, add a contrasting strong spice, such as chili powder, lemon pepper, garlic powder or paprika. If the cinnamon is on the spicy side, add white or brown sugar and a sweet spice, such as nutmeg.How do you neutralize the smell of cinnamon?
Vinegar can be called the hero of your kitchen as you can do anything with it. It's not just a flavouring agent, but an excellent cleaner that can also neutralise the pungent smells in your kitchen. You can simply add a cup of white vinegar in the smelly utensil and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.Can you taste cinnamon?
Cinnamon is a strong, warming spice that's hot, pungent and bitter. It isn't particularly sweet, but its lack of tartness facilitates a sort of sweet sensation. If you've had nutmeg, you know for the most part what cinnamon tastes like, though cinnamon is the \u201csweeter\u201d spice.Is mole sauce bitter?
When made well, the sweetness in mole is balanced by the spicy, smoky flavor of chills, and the toasted and slightly bitter flavor of roasted nuts and seeds.How to Fix a Food That is Too Sour
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Answer 2
I might increase the cocoa powder a bit (assuming that this is a mole that calls for chocolate). Cinnamon is perceived as sweet, so my thought is that additional bitter chocolate might help neutralize it. This is speculation though, I've never tried it.
Answer 3
Cinnamon and cumin work as opposites in this sort of situation. You can reduce the perceived cinnamon by adding a bit of cumin, and vice versa.
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