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    Where’s the Beef?

    20 August, 2009 by Kip 4 Comments

    Vegan Flavour Enhancers

    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.
    « Raspberry Choco Smoothie & Vegan Brunch
    Veggie Understanding for the Masses »

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below.

    Comments

    1. donkeylover

      August 30, 2009 at 10:22 pm

      I would advise people who have migraines to go easy on the nutritional yeast. Yummy (mmmmmmmmmmm) as it may be ( did I mention mmmmmmmm), it can be a painful trigger for those peeps who suffer from migraines.

      I'll take my questions off the air. Love your show, er blog

      donkeygirllove

      Reply
      • Kip

        August 31, 2009 at 1:53 am

        Interesting! I'd never have thought.

        Reply
    2. max191

      October 04, 2009 at 2:39 am

      Great post. I have learned a lot. I am grateful to my friend who told me to visit your blog. Thanks a lot!
      regards
      charcoal grill

      Reply
    3. Jakob Rix Iversen

      May 24, 2011 at 10:29 pm

      Pomegranate sauce is great for depth. It's a sweet and sour ingredient with the consistency of syrup. Great in lentil dishes. Nice with chili and other spices.
      I'm not a big fan of marmite and other umami-ish ingredients. Small doses.

      Smoked paprika and smokes salt are nice as well. It gives a nice depth to any dish and meat eaters usually love it - you know the spice called bacon?

      Great blog by the way 😀

      Reply
    4. I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.

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    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

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