These four ingredients are packed with umami flavour
Be honest: does your cooking sometimes need a little extra help? If so, it's time you added these secret ingredients...
Umami, which translates as essence of deliciousness, is a flavour profile (like sweet, sour and bitter) that is best described as savouriness. Umami is naturally occurring in a list of ingredients, and by simply adding them to a recipe you will give it more depth.
Ketchup
Tomatoes are big in umami, and ketchup has the bonus of being cooked down, sweet and tangy. As well as a condiment, add a squeeze to ragus or marinades, or use instead of tomato purée in stews and braises.
Parmesan
Whenever you’re using milder cheeses, like mozzarella on a pizza, use a grating of parmesan as well to up the salty cheese flavour.
Yeast extract
Used sparingly in gravies and sauces, it will add meatiness, especially when you’re making a vegetarian gravy that needs it. It also works well when combined with anything cheese-based.
Soy sauce
Not only does soy sauce add lots of flavour to gravies, braises and stews, it also gives a deeper, more mahogany colour that you look for when cooking sauces.