All things umami

[Taomeow]

51 minutes ago, Gerard said:

I know what you mean about the pork cabbage dish, possibly a Cantonese delicacy.  They are masters of cooking!

 

I also remember this guy who happened to cook a catfish using a special sauce tat took him 3 h to prepare. The result was spectacular!! Note that catfish is a very average fish to it but that Cantonese cook was a genius in the kitchen. 20 years on and still think of that dish.

 

 

 

It's a Sichuan dish, "twice cooked pork."  And not pork back as I mistyped above, pork belly, the same cuts that are used to make bacon.  

 

I know what you mean about an unforgettable meal -- once in a blue moon, you encounter something so delicious that it's a seminal event capable of changing your perceptions forever.  I've been blessed with quite a few such encounters here and there, now and then, and remember them all.  Smoked Baikal omul (a fish far from "average"), kybynlar (Crimean Tatar meat pie), alfresco de maracuya (Peruvian passionfruit cake)...  ...damn, I've made myself hungry!   I wonder why the most striking encounters are with things I'm not likely to be able to make or find ever again, or unless I travel back in space and, for some items, in time.

[C T]

1 hour ago, Taomeow said:

 

It's a Sichuan dish, "twice cooked pork."  And not pork back as I mistyped above, pork belly, the same cuts that are used to make bacon.  

 

 

 

 

[rainbowvein]

From vegan sushi to Chinese pork belly...how this thread has meandered... 

[liminal_luke]

14 minutes ago, rainbowvein said:

From vegan sushi to Chinese pork belly...how this thread has meandered... 

 

Yes, but don`t you just love where we`ve meandered to? 

 

I`m thinking of focusing on umami in my cooking, and wondering if any of the seasoned chefs here have any synergistic suggestions.  From my reading, it seems like umami really takes off when high glutamate ingredients are paired with high nucleotide ingredients.  I thought maybe I`d just try to have one or two items from each category at my high umami meal of the day.  Or am I overthinking things?  Another question: is there such a thing as too much umami flavor?

[C T]

25 minutes ago, rainbowvein said:

From vegan sushi to Chinese pork belly...how this thread has meandered... 

I know... humble apologies, dear friend. _/\_

[Taomeow]

21 minutes ago, liminal_luke said:

 

Yes, but don`t you just love where we`ve meandered to? 

 

I`m thinking of focusing on umami in my cooking, and wondering if any of the seasoned chefs here have any synergistic suggestions.  From my reading, it seems like umami really takes off when high glutamate ingredients are paired with high nucleotide ingredients.  I thought maybe I`d just try to have one or two items from each category at my high umami meal of the day.  Or am I overthinking things?  Another question: is there such a thing as too much umami flavor?

 

Try porcini mushrooms.  They umami like the sun don't shine.  Of course other varieties of wild (sic!!!!) mushrooms will do the job too, but porcini are intense. 

 

If you want to have an umami vegetarian dish that is healthy and yummy and won't disappoint even a hardcore carnivore, wild mushrooms are the way to go.  

[9th]

portabello + maitake

[rainbowvein]

2 hours ago, C T said:

I know... humble apologies, dear friend. _/\_

 

s'okay  

[Gerard]

Lovely dishes Taomeow, all cooked with love and soul. This is what our Earth energy likes the most: nourishing and caring like a good mum.

 

Here's a recipe for soup lovers:

 

Encebollado de pescado

 

The fresher the tuna you can access to the merrier. I bet there is also a umami taste to this delicious dish. From Ecuador, one of the best fishing ports in our planet.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2017 by Gerard

[Taomeow]

.

Edited November 1, 2017 by Taomeow

[9th]

Indeed. 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2017 by 9th

[Phoenix3]

On 30/10/2017 at 7:08 PM, Taomeow said:

The Japanese chemist who coined the neologism (no, it's not a traditional thing and not a real word) actually invented and patented MSG, monosodium glutamate, as food additive, and the word (derived from the Japanese for "delicious" or "savory") came with it as a sales pitch when it was being marketed.  Caveat emptor.

 

If it is a recent discovery, then why do many ancient sources mention the ‘five tastes’?

[silent thunder]

According to this article, the term umami came rather recently... about 1908 and was coined by a chemist.

 

Here's a short quote from the article.

In 1908, Japanese chemist

Kikunae Ikeda identified glutamic acid as the source of the distinct flavor of kombu seaweed. Glutamates, the salts of glutamic acid, are naturally present in most living things. When organic matter breaks down, such as when kelp is cooked in a broth, glutamate molecules break apart and become L-glutamate. It’s the same when you ferment cheese or cook meat, processes that remove moisture and condense glutamates. L-glutamate is the tastant that gave Ikeda’s kelp broth its distinct flavor. He called it umami.

 

 

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Pickled mustard greens (ya cai) anyone? Rinse them well, chop them fine, and add them with the onion and garlic at the beginning. About as close as I've found to a veggie alternative to fish sauce. Fish sauce = SE Asian salt. Trick is to add less and cook a bit longer  for a saltier effect.

[silent thunder]

3 minutes ago, Harmonious Emptiness said:

Pickled mustard greens (ya cai) anyone? Rinse them well, chop them fine, and add them with the onion and garlic at the beginning. About as close as I've found to a veggie alternative to fish sauce. Fish sauce = SE Asian salt. Trick is to add less and cook a bit longer  for a saltier effect.

that sounds awesome... thanks for sharing.

we'll be trying this in our home soon.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I should add a caveat to that, however, that one should be careful not to overdo it with pickled veggies:

 

"Yup, pickled vegetables. When Chinese hospitals started systematically tracking cancer incidence 50 years ago, they found that certain regions suffered from startlingly high rates of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer of the cells lining the esophagus. Epidemiologists observed that people in these areas relied on fermented vegetables for nutrients for long parts of the year, when fresh veggies weren't available. Researchers now think the culprit is the fungi responsible for the fermentation process. As part of their natural life cycle, the microorganisms release a variety of possible carcinogens.

Doctors have repeatedly attempted to substantiate the connection between pickled vegetables and cancer through clinical studies, with mixed results. But, taken as a whole, there does seem to be an association. A 2009 review of the existing studies conducted across Asia concluded that regularly eating pickled vegetables roughly doubles a person's risk for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma."

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2011/06/the_who_says_cellphonesand_picklesmay_cause_cancer.html

 

[Gerard]

These small things (dried anchovies) add the umami taste to recipes, very used ingredient in SE Asian cuisine, namely congee recipes. One I am preparing right now but I had to leave the abalone behind as it's very difficult to find it where I live (except in seafood restaurants):

 

https://aussietaste.recipes/seafood/abalone/abalone-chicken-congee/