Many people struggle to eat enough vegetables. Despite being essential for a healthy diet, vegetables can have a naturally bitter taste that can be off-putting, especially to children.
Making vegetables delicious is essential if people are going to choose to eat them over other foods.
The Power of Umami
The secret to making vegetables taste better is to hide or balance the bitter taste many vegetables have. A good way to do this is by adding umami flavor.
Umami, one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, is often described as a rich, meaty flavor. This savory taste comes from glutamate, an amino acid found naturally in many foods.
Umami adds depth and complexity, making vegetables taste more interesting. It can enhance desired flavors and downplay naturally occurring bitterness.
The umami in vegetable dishes can easily be boosted by incorporating umami-rich ingredients or using MSG (monosodium glutamate) seasoning.
Boost the Flavor of Vegetables with Umami-Rich Ingredients
One way to up the umami of a vegetable dish is to include an umami-rich ingredient. Ripe tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, spinach, corn, and peas are all excellent sources of umami.
Ripening vegetables before using them increases their free glutamate content and thus the final umami flavor of the dish. So, for example, a deep red tomato will have more umami than a pale, barely ripe tomato.
Cooking a mélange of vegetables rather than just one can increase the overall umami.
Condiments like soy sauce, miso paste, fish sauce, and ketchup are umami powerhouses. A tablespoon of one of those can significantly enhance the umami flavor of the dish it goes into.
Aged cheeses like Parmesan, and cured meats like bacon or ham, are classic ways cooks have added umami to vegetables for years. This explains why kids prefer their broccoli with cheese.
Use MSG Seasoning to Boost the Flavor of Vegetables
MSG is glutamate that has been isolated and bottled, making it the purest form of umami. Seasoning vegetables with MSG, whether or not other umami-rich ingredients are used, can enhance the umami flavor of the vegetable dish. Treat MSG like a seasoning similar to salt, and use it in almost any savory vegetable preparation.
Toss vegetables with oil, a little salt, and a dash of MSG before roasting or sauteing. Add MSG to vegetable broths for a richer, deeper base flavor. Substitute MSG for about a third of the amount of salt you might normally add to a vegetable casserole recipe. Or, try a “super seasoning” blend (1 part MSG to 9 parts salt) for seasoning vegetables before serving.
Transform fresh vegetables from a dietary obligation into a delicious option by harnessing the power of umami, and enjoy National Fruit and Vegetable Month!
Learn more from Chef Aaron Andrews in this episode from the Cooking with MSG video series: The Secret to Delicious Vegetable Dishes.
Related Reading:
Is MSG – aka Umami Seasoning – a Safe Seasoning for Vegetables?
