5 Easy Steps To Punch Up The Flavor Of Your Food

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Amelie Rousseau, GoLocalPDX Contributor

“The only time to eat diet food is when you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” --Julia Child

As Julia well knew, the French will say it’s all about the butter. But adding fat for flavor is only part of the story. Using aromatics, spices and herbs to punch up the flavor is key. But with the seemingly unending choices of herbs and spices how do we know when and where to use them? It can be daunting. In the settling dust after the holiday eating spree, I know I’m not the only one growing a spare bicycle tire. I want to make cauliflower and brown rice as addictively flavorful as shrimp puffs. Oh wait, you too? Read on.

Step One: Pick Your Fat

Not your own, silly. Add a tablespoon or two to a hot pan and let it heat up. Don’t be scared to use a little fat. Consider the USDA’s recommendation that 20-35% of our calories come from fats (health.gov, 2014). Butter offers the best flavor, as it will slowly brown as the food cooks. Heart healthy fats of coconut, avocado and olive are also delicious. A drop of sesame oil will add an Asian flavor, while macadamia nut oil adds a nutty, buttery flavor.

Step Two: Temper Aromatics

Now add your aromatics to the hot fat and sauté. Here is where you’ll also want to add spices that benefit from a toasting, like mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and dried herbs like thyme and basil. My favorite trick is to toast a small chunk of cinnamon stick, which offers my dish a sweet aroma without any added sugar. This technique is called “tempering,” and this process flavors the oil that will then coat the rest of the ingredients in the dish. Beware: spices and aromatics turn bitter when tempered too long. The keyword is golden-brown “toast,” not “char.” After you’ve toasted your spices, add any desired aromatics. “Aromatics” are ingredients that release a heavenly scent when sautéed in butter or oil, like onions, garlic, leeks, ginger, carrots, etc. Sauté until soft.

Ginger Garlic Paste

I’m a lazy cook. I hate having to peel garlic every single time I want to scramble a couple eggs. Ginger garlic paste adds maximum flavor with minimum effort. I keep a jar of it in my fridge and it lasts forever. And I don’t need to mention the cancer-fighting powers of ginger and garlic, right? Combine one cup of grated ginger, one cup peeled garlic cloves, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a tablespoon of sea salt. Add a pinch of turmeric for an appetizing yellow color. Puree in a food processor and jar. Use a spoonful at a time in stir fries, as a marinade ingredient for meats, or as a base for ramen noodle soup.

Step Three: Sear Your Meat

Now that your oil is tempered tastefully, add your meat and cook. “Searing” the meat locks in the flavorful juices.

Step Four: Sauté Veggies

Once the meat is cooked through, add your vegetables and cook until crisp tender. At this step add your salt to taste. The salt will draw out their water and allow the veggies to roast evenly. At this time add a flavor punch by “deglazing” the pan with a flavorful liquid, like a splash of chicken stock or red wine. I’ve used cider and beer, heck even Coca-Cola. Any delicious liquid with some sugar or salt will work. Improvise! You don’t need much, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Never use just water unless you’re making pasta (and even then I throw in salt and some rosemary sprigs). Domestic tranquility bonus: deglazing the pan makes scrubbing the pan super quick. Use your imagination with those saved minutes for something a little more fun than dishes.

Step Five: Sauce & Serve

The last step is all about evaluating how to balance your dish. If a dish would benefit from more acid, now is the time to add a squeeze of lemon or lime. If it needs richness, add some yogurt or coconut milk. And if you need some spice, a dash of spicy Sriracha can make even old shoe leather taste good.

If your dish calls for it, now is when to sauce your food. Whether its red, white, or brown sauce, the secret is to sauce your dish AFTER it is done cooking. This was a revelation to me. If you add sauce while it is cooking, the food will keep soaking it up and you will need to add more and more for that gravy-like consistency.

Unidentifiable Brown Sauce

In college I became addicted to the campus Chinese takeout joint. After my umpteenth order of sizzling stir-fry doused in salty, unidentifiable brown sauce, I thought, “Why am I paying $10 for a bowl of broccoli and carrot? What’s in this sauce? Can I make it at home?” The answer is obvious: heck yes I can. Brown sauce is simple to make and pleases everyone.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup beef broth, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Substitute mushroom broth for a veg*n version. Add a tbsp of the broth to the cornstarch and make a paste with it, this will prevent a lumpy sauce. No one wants lumps.