‘Umami’ might sound like the name of cartoon character, but it is in fact one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, salty, bitter and sour.
The word – a Japanese term that roughly translates as ‘tasty’ – describes the essential savoury taste of many foods, particularly meat.
The chemical responsible for umami, monosodium glutamate (MSG), was initially found in seaweed by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, and today it is used around the world to enhance and give body to food. Parmesan cheese, fish sauce, soy sauce, mushrooms and tomato ketchup are just some food items that satisfy our umami cravings.
Umami is also key to this sanbaizu dressing, which gives a welcome fragrance to a wakame and cucumber salad, and also deepens and concentrates stocks and soups (bonito flakes, which this recipe features, are the key ingredient in dashi, a Japanese stock). It’s good with quick-fried squid, foil-baked whole fish and as poaching liqueur for fish fillets.
Ingredients:
250ml rice wine vinegar
320ml water
25ml soya sauce
60g sugar
2–3 tbsp bonito flakes
Dash of mirin
Bring the rice vinegar, water, sugar, mirin and soya sauce to a boil till the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and stir in the bonito flakes. Leave to infuse for about 10 minutes, then strain the liquid, bring to the boil again and let it cool. Refrigerate after use.
Ken Doherty is a chef and journalist
