For me what made a huge difference was adding acid, specially for stews. A hearty splash of vinegar or soy sauce while stewing, or even a dash of lime just before serving takes it from "meh" to "seconds please!".
this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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For sure. Salt, acid, and fat is the trinity to defeat blandness.
A splash of balsamic vinegar (the good stuff) really adds a lot of depth.
Sesame oil in ramen definitely takes it to the next level. Another fun addition is liquid dashi concentrate, which lends a nice deep umami flavor.
The other umami adder that's worth playing with is fish sauce. I find that as it cooks it loses its aroma, making it easy to use in a wide variety of recipes.
There also exists a vegan version of fish sauce for any herbivores, vegans, or general fish haters out there.
Please elaborate. I have a vegetarian here and have not found a vegan dashi. The best I can do is use kombu in my ramen/Asian/miso-based soups (but not in Euro-centric soups, like Senate Bean Soup or Cauliflower-Potato). I've got a decent vegan Worcestershire sauce, and would love a link for a good vegan dashi base to add to my cooking toolkit.
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Fish sauce has so many applications in all kinds of cooking it's crazy. I always have a bottle on hand.
As someone who makes a lot of soups, the best thing you can do to improve a soup is to make homemade stock and take your time about it.
I'm definitely not on the oily broth soup camp, but I guess that's because I barely make broth-based soup. I do love ramen with sesame oil, though!
I prefer creamy soups for winter, whatever the base: lentils, kabocha, black/brown beans, onions, hearts of palm. Super easy to make, if you have a handy blender to make quick work of it. That or oats & milk porridge for breakfast, I'm set for a chilly day.
So I'm just laying in my bed minding my own business and you had to go and make me hungry. May your socks be forever wet and your bendy straws all have holes.