A lot of chefs say that if you think you need to add more salt, maybe you should think about reaching for some acid instead.
Acid as in lemon juice, lime juice, vinegars, or anything to give another flavour dimension to the dish, to brighten it up.
(Yes, I am addicted to Top Chef).
With that in mind, I’ve been experimenting with a few new favourite ingredients lately:
- Ginger
- Honey
- Lemon
- Green Onions
So far, these have been interesting flavour discoveries and I thought I’d share:
Hot drink of Fresh slices of Ginger & Honey
With boiling hot water, throw in a good dollop of honey, and slice in fresh pieces ginger.
I usually like to dice them up into thin julienne strips.
The ginger is not too spicy or overpowering, as one might think, and it gives a good, subtle perfumey flavour to the hot drink.
You can use the ginger slices about twice or thrice, before having to discard them.
But I hate peeling ginger!!!
Me too. Until I found out this trick:
To quickly peel ginger without cutting yourself with a peeler, use a spoon to scrape the ginger. It’s super quick (quicker and easier than a peeler I’d say), and safe.
Like this:
Via Brooklyn Farmhouse.
Use Green Onions (a.k.a. Scallions) or Lemon Zest in Sushi
We make smoked salmon sushi a lot.
We used to love the avocado + smoked salmon mix, but as of late, we’ve discovered that thin julienned strips of green onions wrapped inside the smoked salmon in a sushi roll, is freaking AMAZING.
I am addicted.
Admittedly, I am also a scallion junkie, and will find any excuse to top any dish with them (raw and fresh), but this is really a new step for us!
It has a great light onion flavour, it isn’t too strong, and the crunch is amazing.
You’ll want to get some of the lighter green/white parts in there, or else the crunch won’t be as strong.
We’ve tried using cucumber before, but it was too mushy of a texture for my liking, and while I enjoyed the crunch, the flavour isn’t something I wholeheartedly embrace.
Lemon Zest, when scraped off in small amounts, is edible and also incredible inside smoked salmon sushi.
It’s tasting sushi in a way I’ve never eaten it before.
It adds a nice, citrusy sort of chewy flavour to the sushi, and I’d suggest putting just a little rather than a lot
You don’t want to overpower the salmon.
I am going to start carrying my own tupperware boxes of grated lemon zest and julienned strips of green onion to sushi restaurants now.
Mix Lemon Juice with Soy Sauce
The Japanese have a mix like this already, called Ponzu shōyu, but I had never tried it before.
All it takes is a squirt or two of lemon juice, mixed quickly with a good splash of soy sauce, and the flavour combination is unbelievable in your mouth.
It really livens up the taste and perks up the flavour of soy sauce.
I even lightly dressed my leftover turkey deli meats in the sauce before I ate it draped over some poached eggs, and I couldn’t believe how delicious it was.
I want to try the mix with fresh salmon now.
And with lime juice.
So there you have it. With 4 simple, relatively cheap ingredients, you can spice up any meal quickly.
Any other suggestions on other simple & cheap flavour combinations I could try?
- I’m starting to love cucumbers
- Sweet and Sour Glazed Chicken Thighs
- Quick Beginners Tutorial on Making Sushi At Home
- Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Yum.
Little House
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 9:15 AM:
My husband is the cook around our house and he experiments with his own sauces, such as combining soy sauce with lemon and other items to make it really tasty. I also agree that vinegars are a great way to boost flavor, instead of salt. I actually HATE salt. Yuck!
Thanks for the additional tips!
Little House´s last blog ..Recycling Statistics
jennifer
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 9:35 AM:
I have started using lemon juice and olive oil for seasoning, when I cook chicken or use it as a dressing for salads. It’s very healthy and quite the money-saver. And yes, I agree it is a MUCH better way to spice up meals rather than salt.
I will have to try putting it in soy sauce from now on. That sounds incredibly delicious.
Jillian (back to the nest)
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 9:41 AM:
Yum, I love using simple ingredients to boost flavor. AKA, I love EATING food made with simple flavorings…I don’t know how to cook much more than a peanut butter and honey sandwich. I do feel inspired now though-thanks!
Jillian (back to the nest)´s last blog ..Skankberry Shortcake and RainHOE Brite
That Kind of Girl
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 10:11 AM:
Oh man, a mug of red tea with some ginger in it sounds so good right now. I used to drink this every day when I lived in Russia, years ago, but have totally forgotten it. I’m totally picking up the necessary items on my way home from work.
That Kind of Girl´s last blog ..The Kind of Girl Who … has hair so greasy you can fry bacon in it (TMI Thursday)
Vanessa (Last Night's Leftovers)
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 10:43 AM:
Thanks for the ginger peeling trick! I will definitely be using that…
Vanessa (Last Night’s Leftovers)´s last blog ..Nice Soft Buns
SeeJaneGetRich.com
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 11:24 AM:
I have a bag of tilapia in the freezer and I have been taking out one or two every week. Since tilapia is so bland tasting I have been experimenting with sauces a lot. I can’t wait to try your soy + lemon juice combo to see how it comes out. One combination I really like is this:
Mori sauce + teriyaki sauce + crushed red pepper = sweet yet slightly spicy sauce with a kick of teriyaki that’s perfect for tilapia
Will from Get It 2gether
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 2:54 PM:
Just checked out your blog and i must say that i like it alot. I like the ginger and honey drink idea and will be trying it out this weekend. Thanks for the good work !
maria
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 4:47 PM:
Wow, thanks so much for sharing all these awesome tips!!
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Oct 23rd, 2009
@ 7:13 PM:
@Little House: I actually like salt, but lemon really seems to change my thoughts about it!
@jennifer: Lemon juice and olive oil? I will have to try that. I tend to like the umami flavour of soy sauce.. hence why I mixed it.
@Jillian (back to the nest): I am not a fancy cook either, but I am picking up a few tricks from BF, who is the real master chef in the home.
@That Kind of Girl: Russia? You need to write a post about that, girl.
@Vanessa (Last Night’s Leftovers): Any time! Hope it helps.
@SeeJaneGetRich.com: I haven’t heard of mori sauce, but I want to check it out now. I do like spicy sweet sauces
uberVU - social comments
on Oct 25th, 2009
@ 7:00 PM:
Social comments and analytics for this post…
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darrell
on Oct 25th, 2009
@ 9:24 PM:
This is a little off topic, but when I was in highschool musical theatre, the entire cast came down with colds/flu and many of us lost our voices. A local, semi-’famous’ singer taught us this recipe (and it works great!):
I don’t have the amounts, but this is the general idea per serving (she actually mixed up a HUGE batch in a mason jar but I make it by the dose)
- Tbsp or so of honey
-pinch of Cayenne pepper
- ~1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- ~1/4 tsp. diced ginger
mix it up and down the hatch it goes, will soothe and coat a sore throat. Okay, not a cooking recipe but if you have all the other stuff on hand, it might come in handy this cold and flu season
eemusigns
on Oct 26th, 2009
@ 1:32 AM:
I actually enjoy salt *shameface* and I try to get a fair bit of it into my diet. I get weird leg and foot cramps a lot (BF does too, but in other spots) and whether or not lack of salt IS a real factor, it certainly seems to help me. I don’t eat much processed food, so I’m not getting tons of sodium through that kind of stuff.
eemusigns´s last blog ..Quitters
Lawgirl
on Oct 26th, 2009
@ 8:11 PM:
I totally love Top Chef as well. I want Kevin or the older Voltaggio to win this time.
Lawgirl´s last blog ..I may not be able to ignore this one