How to absorb/remove excess water that you've added to a dish? My cooking style involves putting a bunch of ingredients (e.g. chicken, rice, mushrooms, tomatoes) in a pot, adding water and seasoning, turning on the heat, and coming back half an hour later.  (Don't steal my techniques please.)

The problem is that this [highly scientific] method is sometimes inaccurate in the amount of water that remains in the dish after half an hour.  If the water is running low, I can just add more, problem solved.  But what can I do if there is too much water?

It's true that I can try to learn from my mistakes and add less water next time.  However, is there a way to save the dish?  I know I can just remove the top, turn up the heat, and let the extra water boil off, but sometimes that will overcook everything to a mush.

Is there anything I can add that absorbs the water?  Kind of like rice, but maybe faster?
Stuff happens to us all, especially when using highly scientific methods. If your seasonings/flavors are the way you want them and the only issue is too much liquid, just ladle out until you are left with amount of liquid you want. 

You can even save the seasoned liquid you take out (stored in refrigerator) and use it later when preparing another dish.