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Asian Umami Sauce
Looking for
a rich Asian cooking sauce that explodes with savory depth but contains
no MSG, fish or oyster sauce? This is the one for you. Perfect in a
stir-fry or even just drizzled over rice and veggies for a little extra
pizzazz, this recipe takes its flavor from known umami sources, like
mushrooms and kombu. (By the way, if you are averse to the flavor of
seaweed never fear – I am, too, and this is not fishy at all.) Umami,
also known as the fifth taste along with sweet, salty, bitter and sour,
is the full-bodied flavor found in l-glutamate and can be translated as
“pleasant savory taste” from Japanese. I have a theory that
this is what new vegetarians and vegans are missing when they complain
of not feeling satiated without flesh and animal products. Umami is
most often found in meat and cheese but mushrooms and some plant foods
have it (tomatoes are especially rich in umami) as well. This Umami
drizzling and cooking sauce will give you a lot of deep flavor you can
use every time you want delicious Asian food without going out for it.
Asian Umami Sauce
1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
32-ounces vegan broth, divided (I used mushroom for maximum umami)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
2 pieces kombu seaweed
¼ cup tamari
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Optional: 1 tablespoon vegan sweetener
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Put
the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1 ½ cups hot broth. Put a
plate or cover over the top of the bowl to keep it warm. Allow it to
sit for 30 minutes or more.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan with a lid, warm 3 tablespoons broth
over a medium-high flame for a minute. Alternatively, you can use
toasted sesame oil for a richer and more flavorful sauce. Add the
ginger and garlic and sauté, stirring often, for six minutes adding
more broth by the tablespoon if needed to keep from sticking to the
bottom of the pan.
Add the soaked mushrooms, the soaking broth, the remaining broth, 2
pieces of kombu and tamari. Heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer,
cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Finally, using a fine colander, strain over a container. I used a large
measuring cup. Add the rice vinegar and optional sweetener, press down
with the end of a spoon to get all the liquid out, pour into a covered
container and store in the refrigerator.
If you want this just as a flavoring sauce, you can use it as is. If
you want as a thicker brown or oyster-style sauce, use the cornstarch
variation. Mix together the cornstarch and water in a cup with a spoon.
Add it to the Umami Sauce in a saucepan over medium heat and stir
together with a whisk until thickened. It is ready to use in a stir-fry.
©
2013-2016, Vegan Street
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