How to Cook Fake Meat to Taste
My father is a pseudo-vegetarian, although he sometimes eats fish or poultry. He recently switched to animal-free meats – this man loves the impossible burger! – and I cooked his favorite food (spaghetti) with minced turkey or some lean crumb instead of beef or pork.
“Impossible” and “Beyond ” “meat” and even crumbled tofu can bring you closer to the authentic product in texture, but I often correct and try to make things more meaty ; meatiness is a special kind of glutamate-rich pungent flavor that you often overlook when eating meat without meat. Using one (or more) of the following ingredients, suitable for vegetarians and vegans, complements the flavor profile, resulting in a more satisfying meat-free taste.
Better than no beef broth
My stepmother has been using the BTB line of products for years, and she often mixes a little of this variety (sometimes combined with a saute sauce ) into any vegetarian stew, stir-fry, or pasta she cooks to enhance it. It adds the pleasant dark depth that grilled meats provide – something like soy sauce with a more meaty flavor (if the soy sauce was a paste). I love adding BTB at the end of the cooking process and to taste; and I rarely need more than 1/2 teaspoon (1/4 is usually sufficient).
MSG
Monosodium glutamate is the fastest way to get a real piece of meat piquancy. It doesn’t add depth, so it’s especially useful in dishes where you’ve developed a ton of vegetarian flavor but still lacks this little meaty dish. You simply sprinkle it on any artificial meat product you use and cook as usual, or add it at the end to taste. Usually, about 1/8 teaspoon per pound of protein is sufficient, although you can add 1/4 teaspoon as well. (If more, monosodium glutamate will be unpleasantly dominant in the dish.)
Chinese olive vegetable
This popular Chinese condiment is a combination of immature Chinese white olive and mustard greens, which was prepared for a long time, creating a paste with a strong, spicy and complex flavors. It is cooler and more sticky than glutamate (although some brands contain glutamate salt), giving it a aged beef quality. I like to mix it with a bunch of crunchy minced mushroom chunks to make a vegan bolognese , but you can use it just like the no-beef BTB and mix to taste. (Just pay attention to the olive pits.)
Burnt onion
Fried onions don’t add as clean meaty flavor as the three above, but they do bring in a zesty darkness, and sometimes that’s enough. Charred onions impart a roasted flavor and a touch of bitterness – two things often associated with meat stews and stews. (Just as liquid smoke can resemble a fried burger when it doesn’t really taste meaty, so can fried onions resemble a fried one.) Burnt onions are best for mashed potatoes, especially sauces and stews. (Just cook whole onions until they are completely caramelized , then blend them with a hand blender.)