Favorite sources of umami flavor?

pancakerunner
pancakerunner Posts: 6,137 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Loving fish sauce and aged cheeses (especially aged Parmesan!) on everything. What are your go-to sources???

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Fish and soy sauce.

    I like mushroom flavor, but not texture, so sometime I cook with mushrooms and pick them out.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,203 Member
    In addition to those already named, dark miso, mushroom powder, unsweetened cacao/cocoa powder (put it in things like chili or other tomato-based stews/soups to start - I'd begin with 1 teaspoon per serving, and adjust per taste - I usually like about 1 tablespoon per serving, but others might prefer less).

    Caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, and some other roasted veggies (eggplant, garlic, etc.)

    Kombu seaweed is another possibility, but I have inappropriate psychological rejection of most seaweeds. ;)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Add mojama and bottarga.
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    edited July 2019
    • Broths
    • Braised or roasted vegetables eg eggplants or tomatoes or bell peppers
    • Nuts
    • Black olives
    • Pickled vegetables
    • Sea vegetables *For some tribal dishes
    • Like using mushrooms and cheeses too
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    This:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HYL4HK2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    Black vinegar (found at Asian grocery store), tamari soy sauce, mushrooms, miso, nutritional yeast
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Only heard of black olive crumb last night when a girlfriend who lives in Spain said it was all the rage there especially as a vegan parmesan replacement. So today I tried to make some. it consists of dehydrating pitted olives and then zapping dried olives in a food processor. Googling for recipes I got instructions for baking on high heat in the oven for 3 hours to to dehydrating at warm temperature for 24 hourrs and all kinds of instructions in between. Put them in the air fryer at the lowest temperature of 80C for an hour and a half because the air fryer is easier to clean than the dehydrator. They are probably dry eough to pulverize. Because I am using the dehydrator for another recipe I have popped the olives in overnight as well.
  • pancakerunner
    pancakerunner Posts: 6,137 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    Reporting back on the olive crumb experiment.

    Dehydrated olive crumb is a useful condiment to have on hand. Much nicer than commercial vegan cheese so next time I make pesto for vegans will use that but reduce salt. Pesto would probably look more attractive if I use green olives rather than black. I crumbled two dehydrated olives between my fingers on some cherry tomatoes. This stuff crumbles into a fine powder so blitzed in the food processor it will be useful for salting unbuttered popcorn and other foods that table salt won't adhere to.

    Adding more umami ingredients: Asian dried shrimp (blitz to a powder in the food processor) and crushed roasted peanuts. I use a little of both on SE Asian salads.

    jh49dczpyi68.jpg


    Loving all your recommendations!!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Another umami ingredient: fried capers. I had this garnishing a dish in a restaurant once but haven't tried making this at home.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Adding to the list: belachan (Indonesian shrimp paste), Japanese pickled daikon, Chinese salted turnip, Chinese salted mustard greens, Japanese furikake seasoning, pork floss.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    i visited my mom last week and she introduced me to a new umami ingredient. Chinese olive vegetable paste. It's a different plant to the mediterranean olive, but looks and taste similar. The seed, being pointy, looks different. The mashed fruit is sold in jars mixed with pickled mustard leaf and oil and tastes like a Chinese version of tapenade. My mom has a large Chinese supermarket in her home town, but I got my jar by mail order. Must remember to ask for it next time I am in Chinatown.

    https://pupswithchopsticks.com/chinese-olive-vegetable/
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Kimchi, Parmesan & blue cheese.
  • livilively
    livilively Posts: 21 Member
    Mushrooms and sesame oil!
  • SLL1803
    SLL1803 Posts: 49 Member
    Nutritional yeast or soy sauce, depending on what flavour I want.

    I can't use mushroom sources, they make me ill.
  • VegjoyP
    VegjoyP Posts: 2,772 Member
    pancakerunner wrote: »
    Loving fish sauce and aged cheeses (especially aged Parmesan!) on everything. What are your go-to sources???

    Trader Joes has a seasoming thats called Umami! Its fantastic🍄🍄🍄
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Anchovies, any aged cheese, hoisin sauce.
  • HollyPFlax
    HollyPFlax Posts: 79 Member
    I get sushi about once per week, which satisfies it well. I usually don't eat a lot of red meat, but once in a while I'll really crave it and go for a steak.
  • vivo1972
    vivo1972 Posts: 129 Member
    Parmigiano reggiano, Marmite for savouries (esp on crumpets, yum) 100% cocoa powder and vanilla extract for sweet stuff esp shakes and hot milk drinks

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