Three Cultures – Three Umami-packed Recipes
The common denominator in these three culturally different recipes is umami broth – used in different ways but with the same effect…creating delicious vegan food.
Last week, I introduced my umami broth – a delicious vegetable-based broth packed full of umami sensations.
Umami broth forms the underlying flavors of rich soups, stews, rice dishes and my vegan brown sauce. I also use the broth to flavor seitan, marinate mushrooms and infuse it with kombu to make a killer vegan dashi.
This week, I offer three amazing recipes that have different cultural origins to demonstrate how I use umami broth in my recipes to develop complex flavor profiles that…well…make the food taste incredible.
The Japanese-style Potatoes and Mushroom recipe depends on umami broth to seep deeply into the potatoes, then with the help of some sugar, the broth is reduced into a mouth-watering sweetened rich brown sauce. The Creamy Onion Soup recipe uses a similar reduction technique to develop intense richness that balances perfectly with the sweetness of caramelized onions. In the final recipe, I am replacing the traditional ‘beef-flavored’ broth with mushroom-infused umami broth to create necessary earthiness to balance the acidity coming from the sauerkraut in my vegan take of a classic Hungarian-style Potato and Sauerkraut Goulash.
Next up in my umami series are my strategies and kitchen secrets I use to create umami-rich seitan recipes. I hope you continue to follow me on this fascinating journey…and use the information I offer to help you develop your own style – or at least explore some ways that may help you cook incredibly satisfying vegan meals.
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Japanese-style Potatoes and Mushrooms
This preparation is based on the classic Japanese recipe called Niku-jaga (literally meaning meat and potatoes). It’s intended to be rich in a dark beefy sauce that seeps into the potatoes as they cook together.
My vegan version replaces the meat with mushrooms, and together with the traditional onions, they are cooked in a rich umami broth that further intensifies after reducing. The richness of the broth is balanced by a sweetened hit of mirin and sake, which leaves a wonderful, delicious broth that tastes a lot like…should I say it...well, it taste a lot like beef.