Umami is appearing on menus, in recipes, and across the grocery aisle, usually without much explanation. The term may be relatively new to many of us, but the taste is familiar. It is the savory quality found in mushrooms, tomatoes, aged cheese, tamari, broth, and browned meat.
Why add more of it? Because food can have enough salt, butter, garlic, or cheese and still taste dull. Umami adds a deeper savory taste without making dinner noticeably hotter, sweeter, or saltier.
You have probably been adding umami for years
A spoonful of tomato paste in a stew, Parmesan over pasta, mushrooms in gravy, tamari in a marinade, or broth in place of water all add umami. We may not have called it that, but cooks have long used these ingredients to give food more savory flavor.
That helps explain why the word is now showing up on so many food packages. Umami is not one particular spice or a manufactured flavor. It describes a taste that can come from many familiar ingredients.
When the usual fixes are not working
Adding more salt can quickly make a dish too salty. More butter adds richness, but it may not solve blandness. More garlic simply makes the garlic stronger.
Umami is useful when the food needs more savory flavor. Stir a little into mashed potatoes, gravy, tomato sauce, rice, beans, meatloaf, burgers, scrambled eggs, or roasted vegetables. It can also perk up convenience foods such as canned soup, frozen meals, packaged rice, or a quick noodle cup.
In cheesy dishes, umami can deepen the savory side of the cheese. In meatless cooking, it can add some of the taste we associate with broth, roasted meat, or a long simmer.
Use the blend dry or make a sauce
Our premium Shawhan Farms Umami Sauce Starter can be added directly to food as a dry seasoning. Sprinkle a little into ground meat, soup, vegetables, eggs, rice, sauces, or a pan of mushrooms, then taste before adding more.
You can also prepare the blend with warm water according to the package directions when you want a savory sauce. Add olive oil and blend it smooth for noodles, vegetables, meats, grain bowls, or dipping. The same pouch can season food in the pan, build a sauce, or add a final savory touch at the table.
Start with food you know well
The easiest way to understand umami is to try it in a familiar dish. Add a little to scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, or roasted vegetables and taste the difference. You are looking for more savory flavor, so begin with a small amount and adjust from there.
Once you recognize it, the word “umami” becomes much less mysterious. It is simply a useful answer for those times when dinner has been seasoned but still needs more flavor.
Our Umami Weeknight Noodle Bowl puts the starter to work in a quick dinner with noodles, vegetables, and a savory sauce. It is an easy place to start when you want to see how umami changes a complete meal.
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Shop the Seasonings to pick up Our Shawhan Farms Umami Sauce Starter.
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