Where’s the Beef?

Raise your hand if you're familiar with, whether as something you've said or heard, a variant of "...but doesn't it all taste the same? I could never give up meat because I like flavour."

Here are a few ingredients see as key in adding that extra little bit of oomph to any savoury dish.

A splash of this and a pinch of that

1. Anywhere you need that little bit of extra depth, whether in gravy, pies, stews, wherever, then Marmite is your friend. Obviously you realise it's a must-have staple for anything revolving around your typical Sunday roast.
2. I dismissed soy sauce for many years because I hadn't had anything other than cheap darkened soy juice. Find yourself a quality soy sauce. In fact, find yourself many. There's light soy sauce and dark soy sauce (milder but richer in colour), tamari, and a number of other options. Vegetables and stocks will come to life with a generous splash.
3. Nutritional yeast, also known as "nooch" in some circles, is a staple in any vegan's store cupboard. It's a deactivated yeast with a nutty flavour which complements salads, potatoes, sauces and dressings, stir-fries, and more.
4. Dark Miso pastes are another excellent method of adding a deep and rich flavour to a dish. Light miso is good too, but the sugar content is higher so be careful when using to "beef" up a meal!
5. A personal favourite is red wine vinegar, a condiment I use in gravy for a roast dinner. A little bit goes a long way and it adds a full and zingy taste to stocks and pies.
6. That said, I suppose it's a little unfair to discount the all important red wine and white wine, both capable of lifting any dish from the depths of dullness to the height of flavour.
7. Dried shiitake mushrooms make a fabulous addition to any stock. Seriously. If these aren't in your store cupboard, get yourself to an East Asian grocer and get some.
8. The darkest of dark chocolate has the capability of adding some serious depth to a dish. Sound odd? It's been used in Central and South American savoury cooking for many, many years.