Turning Up The Heat To Make My Food Taste Great
Adding spice and a certain degree of fire to your vegan food lifts the flavors to a new level…plus, it’s fun to have a little tickle in the throat and beads of sweat on the brow!
One complaint I often hear from people who are taking their first tentative steps into the world of plant-based food is how boring all those vegetables taste. I get it…and on some level, I agree. But I also believe this complaint is coming from a perspective that’s based on a general lack of cooking knowledge. Many cooks don’t have an understanding of how to properly season food and build layers of interesting flavors and textures - skills that are important for any cook to master – regardless of whether the dish is plant-based or not.
I’ve already stressed the importance of creating umami in vegan recipes during an earlier series of newsletters and recipes (see below for links to that series in case you missed them or if you’re a new subscriber). This week, I’m taking flavors and mouth sensations to a higher level by introducing my favorite hot and spicy dips and sauces…this is a level where you may experience a tickle in your throat or beads of sweat developing on your brow.
I begin with harissa, which is often thought of as that really spicy pepper paste from Morocco, but that's only half the story. It is true some versions of harissa are made with fiery hot peppers and spices throughout Morocco and Tunisia. But there are milder versions available that involve more tomatoes than peppers.
The first version I present is a recipe from my Jewish-Moroccan mother, which is semi-spicy. I remember it had a sweet touch that balanced the roasted jalapeno peppers she used - a pepper she opted for because that was the only alternative for hot peppers in the small US town we lived in. I happily spread the sauce on just about everything in sight, then wait for the little beads of sweat to start accumulating on my face and forehead. My interpretation emphasizes the sweetness of the tomatoes with a lot less fire. But I left it open, so you can adjust the heat in the sauce by adding more peppers or cayenne pepper...or reducing those quantities and eliminating the seeds from the peppers.
The second harissa recipe is the more traditional Tunisian-style version that is noticeably hotter than the tamer Moroccan cousin. Tunisian harissa recipes traditionally do not have tomatoes; they are made with red chili peppers, garlic and spices. These pastes are similar to the Indonesian-style Sambal Olek, but without the addition of an acid.
Zhug is a kind of relish (or salsa if you prefer) originating from Yemen. It is extremely popular in Israel, which is where I first tasted this fiery condiment. Most people enjoy a bit of zhug on flatbread as an appetizer…perhaps with some sliced tomatoes…or to accompany anything that is coming off a hot grill. I use it liberally in soups or stews to elevate the flavor of a particular dish. But mostly, I am addicted to a breakfast of flatbread, Sicilian tomatoes, a healthy dose of hot green zhug and a small splash of fruity extra virgin olive oil – that alone transports me to a sunny Mediterranean coast…and I think that’s a great start to any day!
My other standard fiery condiment is the classic Asian-style chili-garlic dipping sauce. This is my go-to recipe whenever I serve something like dumplings or bao buns. It comes together quickly and is packed with juicy flavors and plenty of heat.
Using these kinds of sauces/pastes/dips to enhance flavors makes food stand out from the norm. They are simple to make…and that means the return on your effort invested in making them is substantial.
Building Umami into Your Vegan Recipes
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Harissa Jam
Use this tamer version of the popular North African harissa paste/sauce with steamed couscous or vegetable tagines (like my popular pumpkin tagine), slathered on toast, mixed in with hummus or byesar...or even (insert guilty face here) by the spoonful. Think of it this way - it's like ‘Moroccan Ketchup’ and yes, it is fabulous with potato fries.