I want my (u)mami

[florafloraflora]

So, for nearly four months I've been cooking and eating vegan. I'm mostly happy with my options, but there's one stumbling block I haven't gotten over and that's the tendency of vegan recipes and foods to be sweeter than I want them to be. I like a dessert now and then, I live for sweet potatoes in the fall, I sweeten my oatmeal in the morning,

Comments

[purpletigron]

1. Tomatoes have umami flavour, I believe? I have read that some potatoes, seaweeds and mushrooms do, too.

2. Mushroom gravy, but I don't have a recipe to hand, sorry.

[florafloraflora]

You know, I've had some potato cravings that for some silly reason I've been ignoring. I think I'll try adding potatoes to the mix and see if that helps.

I'd love a good mushroom gravy recipe.

[kare_bear00]

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/saucesdipsspreads/r/mushroomgravy.htm

I also made the broth recipe. They were both very good!

[florafloraflora]

Looks yum, thanks!

[br0ken_dolly]

i don't think i've noticed anything sweeter as a vegan. however, most nondairy milks have sugar in them (unless you get unsweetened), so maybe that's contributing?

i prefer Tamari to soy sauce but i have no idea what the differences are between the two. (i fail.)

also, i use Better Than Bouillon concentrate instead of cubes or powder, but i also like the "No-chicken" and "No-beef" cubes (although i forget the brand). but the BTB is the best.

[florafloraflora]

I do get the unsweetened soymilk. The others aren't bad but they taste more like dessert to me than a staple food.

I'll look for those bouillons, thanks.

[cataphoric]

Tamari is generally wheat-free or low-wheat soy sauce, which gives it a more pronounced (umami) flavor than other kinds.

[laceyslostlove]

tamari doesn't have wheat and is a bit milder; i've noticed it burns a little more easily as well.

[zaftigvegan]

mushrooms! especially shiitake. also i find walnuts, ground up and added to various dishes, add wonderful richness and dark umami flavour.

nutritional yeast is fantastic and there are actually different varieties if you want to switch it up. engevita and brewers, torula and the flaked stuff. each have their own dimension of umami. also, you might want to try experimenting with products like vegemite and marmite, which are yeast-based pastes/spreads and which can be added to broths and sauces to increase umami flavour.

i know you said you are looking for non-soy based umami flavours but i can't resist suggesting black bean paste/sauce. not just as a condiment unto itself but mixing it into dinner 'loaves', homemade seitan, etc. it adds a real rich, savory flavour.

[florafloraflora]

I have a big bag of walnuts in the freezer... I'll try grinding them up and adding them to some rice.

Thanks for the tip about the different yeasts. I'll keep an eye out.

I LOVE Marmite. I've heard you can use it to coat peeled potatoes before roasting-I'm going to try that soon. Thx for the reminder.

I hadn't thought of black beans. I have some vital wheat gluten that I've been meaning to make into seitan; I'll experiment with the black beans too.

[supercarrot]

i'm a huge fan of frontier's broth powders.

[madwithinsanity]

I'm in culinary school and we recently took a taste and flavor course. Both tomatoes and mushrooms have umami flavor and actually I've panfried mushrooms in a little olive oil and sprinkled salt on them... It tastes like bacon.

[florafloraflora]

I've panfried mushrooms in a little olive oil and sprinkled salt on them... It tastes like bacon.

SO trying that!

I have trouble thinking of the umami in tomatoes. Maybe you have to eat them raw? At any rate, it would be a good idea to bring more tomato sauce into my life.

[purpletigron]

I did hear somewhere that tomatoes have a really high proportion of umami flavour in them. I feel it's strongest in paste or sundried tomato form.

[simplychristina]

Yes, this. I love adding sundried tomatoes to dishes for this very reason.